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  • FC-AD-9 - Pawn Structures

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    sridivya.mamidi
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    The document discusses common pawn structures in chess, including passed pawns, pawn majorities, pawn chains, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, and backward pawns. It provides diagrams to illustrate examples of each structure and which player may have an advantage based on the pawn positioning. Key advantages and disadvantages of each structure are explained, such as passed pawns providing a threat to promote, pawn majorities often leading to exchanges, and isolated, doubled, and backward pawns creating weaknesses in the pawn structure.

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    Chess pawn structures explained

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    FC-AD-9_Pawn structures

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    The document discusses common pawn structures in chess, including passed pawns, pawn majorities, pawn chains, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, and backward pawns. It provides diagrams to illustrate examples of each structure and which player may have an advantage based on the pawn positioning. Key advantages and disadvantages of each structure are explained, such as passed pawns providing a threat to promote, pawn majorities often leading to exchanges, and isolated, doubled, and backward pawns creating weaknesses in the pawn structure.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    2 views7 pages

    FC-AD-9 - Pawn Structures

    Uploaded by

    sridivya.mamidi
    The document discusses common pawn structures in chess, including passed pawns, pawn majorities, pawn chains, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, and backward pawns. It provides diagrams to illustrate examples of each structure and which player may have an advantage based on the pawn positioning. Key advantages and disadvantages of each structure are explained, such as passed pawns providing a threat to promote, pawn majorities often leading to exchanges, and isolated, doubled, and backward pawns creating weaknesses in the pawn structure.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 7

    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL

    9. Pawn structures

    Once Philidor stated, “pawns are the soul of chess.” Pawn structure means the positioning of
    the pawns. Some of the most common pawn structure is as follows

    Passed pawn
    A passed pawn is a pawn that cannot be stopped by the opponent’s pawn from advancing to
    the eighth rank. In this position, there is no opponent’s pawn either or the same file or on the
    adjacent file to stop the pawn from getting promoted. A passed pawn is a very big threat to the
    opponent because of its power to promote and create an advantage for the player.

    Diagram 9.1

    In diagram 9.1 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since it has a passed
    pawn on h6.

    Copyright ©️ Upstep Academy www.UpstepAcademy.com 1


    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
    9. Pawn structures

    Pawn majority
    A pawn majority is a position when one player has more Pawns than the other on one side of
    the chessboard (it can happen on both sides kingside as well as queenside). It is very important
    to have a pawn majority in the endgame because it often leads to exchanges of pawns and the
    creation of a passed pawn.

    Diagram 9.2

    In diagram 9.2 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since it has a pawn
    majority on the queenside of the board.

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    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
    9. Pawn structures

    Pawn chain
    A pawn chain is a position when two or more pawns are diagonally linked. It has the advantage
    that all the pawns in the pawn chain are defended by the other pawns, except the last one in
    the chain. Nimzowitsch taught that a pawn chain should be attacked at its weakest point, that
    is the base of the pawn chain.

    Diagram 9.3

    In diagram 9.3 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since it has a pawn
    chain formed by b4-c5-d6-e7 pawns.

    Copyright ©️ Upstep Academy www.UpstepAcademy.com 3


    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
    9. Pawn structures

    Isolated pawn
    An isolated pawn is a pawn that cannot be protected by any other friendly pawn. These pawns
    are usually a weakness because they are not connected to any other pawn.

    They require constant protection from the other pieces, making them unavailable for more
    important tasks.

    Diagram 9.4

    In diagram 9.4 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since the black has
    formed a weak pawn structure (isolated pawn on c5)

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    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
    9. Pawn structures

    Doubled pawns
    Doubled pawns are the two pawns of the same player, located on the same file.

    these pawns are also a weakness because they cannot protect each other and they can be also
    blocked by the single pawn of the opponent. Pawns become doubled only when one pawn
    captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides.

    Diagram 9.5

    In diagram 9.5 we observe that the black has one extra pawn still the position is drawn because
    the black has doubled pawn on e-file.

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    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
    9. Pawn structures

    Backward pawn
    A backward pawn is a pawn that cannot move forward or else it will get captured by the
    opponent’s pawn. It also creates a weakness in the position.

    Diagram 9.6

    In diagram 9.6 we can observe that the black has one extra pawn still the white is winning the
    game since black has a weakness (backward pawn) on a7.

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    Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
    9. Pawn structures (Homework)
    1. Who has superior pawn structure? 2. Black to play. What would be the result
    of this game?

    3. White to play. What will be the result of 4. Who has superior pawn structure?
    this game?

    Copyright ©️ Upstep Academy www.UpstepAcademy.com 7

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