Lesson 2     Pawn Control

Pawn Weaknesses:

Pawn Majority / Minority:

Pawn Structure / General

Pawn Concepts

• Strong pawns:

  • Passed pawn – when the pawn has passed the opposing pawns (on the adjacent columns) and has no opposing pawn in the same column.

• Weak pawns:

  • Doubled pawn – when two pawns of the same colour are on the same column. Is weak because the stumble into each other and at least one will need support from a bigger piece.

     

    

     

  • Isolated pawn – when the pawn has no fellow pawns in the adjacent columns. Is weak because no other pawn can protect it.

    

     

• Backward pawn – a pawn which can not move due to capture. Is weak because one pawn is controlling two pawns.

   

Pawn Structures

• Pawn Chain

  • The direction of the chain indicates the direction of your attack.

  • Strongest at the point, weakest at the base.

    

     

• Stonewall

  • Provides strong attack on the squares where both pawns are attacking, normally you would put your Knight on those squares.

  • When defending against a stonewall, keep your pawns in reserve in order to mount attack on their strong square (in the case below e5 is the strong square). Or alternatively, mirror their stonewall.

    

     

• Majority / Minority

  • On the board you may end up with a majority / minority pawn situation. In this case White has a Queen side majority and a King side minority. Where ever there is a majority, you have a ‘pretender’ pawn - a pawn which has the potential to become a Queen (given the help of its majority. That is where your attack should focus.

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