Power of Pawn

"The pawn (♙♟) is the weakest . . .piece in the game of chess, representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants of pikemen."[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn_(chess)] It's true that a pawn only has a value of 1 point. But let's try to look at the pawn in a different perspective.

STRENGTHS OF THE PAWN

Every pawn move is vital in the game of chess. It determines the type of game(open or closed). It closes or opens up a file or diagonal which determines the fate of most pieces or even the game itself.

Openings mostly require pawns to contol the center. It solidifies the game. Exciting middlegames often involve making way for a pawn push, one side supporting a pawn for its advance while the other tries to tear down its advance. Endgames mostly are about pawns gaining its promotion.

Ulike all the other pieces, pawns cannot move backward and therefore, their moves are permanent. It therefore lays out the terrain of the game. This is called the pawn structure. The pawn structure gives way to your army and most times makes up the defense of your king

HOW TO UTILIZE ITS POWER?

Generally speaking, ISOLATED PAWNS should be avoided. Isolated pawns are pawns which will never be protected by other pawns. It is generally weak. The very fact that it can't be protected by another pawn makes it vulnerable to attacks and may consume most of your time protecting it.

DOUBLED PAWNS are not always weak. However, a pair of pawns' flexibility is greatly decreased if doubled. So, decide wisely about having a doubled pawn.

PASSED PAWNS are mostly good especially for endgames. They are easy to promote. We therefore should pay great attention to a passed pawn.

"Pawns are the soul of the game. They alone create attack and defense, the way they are deployed decides the fate of the game." - Francois Andre Danican-Philidor(better known as Philidor)

Now here's a game demonstrating the real POWER OF PAWNS!!

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Hi there..this is my very first article here..and i've decided to write something interesting..funny thing about this, if you haven't noticed, is that my username - Power_of_Pawn - is the title of this article..hehe..HOPE THIS ARTICLE HELPS!!

4/17/09-update..fixed grammatical errors..hehe..sorry about that..