Pawn Pleasure

This week I read chapter 11, The Doubled Pawn and Restraint from My System.

Nimzowitsch said what, until recently, I'd always heard. And that is that doubled pawns are a serious weakness.

However, I've also read and heard in chess videos that, yes, doubled pawns can be a serious weakness, but they can offer some compensation such as an open file. And, in the last few months I've found opening lines that accept doubled pawns.

So my questions are this:

1. For doubled pawns, backwards pawns and isolated pawns, how would you generally rate their weakness. Maybe a scale of 0 -10, 10 being the weakest possible

2. For doubled pawns, backwards pawns and isolated pawns, what are some general ways to deal with their weaknesses.

3. For each of these pawn weaknesses, what are some general, if any, possible benefits.

I think sometimes doubled pawns can be strong. I've always thought white's doubled c pawn in some lines of French and Nimzo_indian are a plus, not a minus.

Often in these position playing c4 is a plus. The doubled pawns allow you to play it twice.

Well, 1. Double pawns 4.8/10

2. Defend them, or develop at the same time, defending them. getting them to a better square, defend the weakness square the square infront.

3. i am sorry I don't understand.

but for sure doubled pawns have negative and positive, for double pawns can give open files, and more control over the center.

Botvinnik handled doubled pawns masterfully.

In for example Caro-Kann opening there's a quick Nf6 and then Nxf6 and then black can play gxf6 or exf6.

The gxf6 variation was played by imaginative players like Larsen and Bronstein who liked to use the half open g file for black.

And ... many years ago I played in Dieren Open otb tourney.

In the highest group IM Hartoch (RIP) was playing.

One day I saw in the tourney bulletin a game from him where he played with black and very quickly got a double pawn on e5 and e6 with black.

And he seemed to have drawn the game easily. I was shocked to see that.

... This was unbelievable !

Later in blitz games online several players played a similar setup and I have not been able (with white) to easily crack that tough nut black position.

Black gets more center control with that doubled e pawn, and black usually brings a knight to f4 and has clear cut plans how to play.

Here's an example game position :

Thanks achja.

I guess, accordingly, that something like this on the c-file could server as a similar 'nut'.

What do you think the next few moves for black would be?

I see a configuration like this:

Get my pieces pointed to the king side and o-o-o.

Hi kleelof,

Here's two games I found from higher rated players, as examples.

Black first plays Bd6 and then Ke7. I believe that this was done in the game of IM Hartoch as well, which made the whole setup look even more "surreal" to me.

As you might see in these two games, black has an active king in the centre close to that doubled e pawn and controlling "entry points" for d and f file. And black has a half open f file which can be of some use.

Thanks. I went and tried to create my formation, and found it quite difficult.