4 Best Chess Books on Pawn Structures
Understanding pawn structures is an essential part of chess players. We often see different types of pawn structures arriving from different openings. Pawn structures can change in the middle game or in the end game. There are hundreds of pawn structures in chess. This article will show the best chess books on pawn structures.
Many chess books on pawn structures are based on different topics, i.e., Opening, Middlegame, and Endgame. To get a general understanding, Chess Structure is the best book to learn pawn structures in chess.
At the start of the game, both players get eight pawns each. Pawns are so powerful that they can make eight queens if all are promoted. Also, because of pawns, our king and pieces are safe. Learning pawn structure can also help you to improve your chess understanding.
Working on pawn structures is not easy for everyone, but the following books will help you learn pawn structures.
Why is Understanding pawn structures important?
Many times, we can judge position directly by seeing pawn structures. Obviously, it will be possible if we have studied it already. Also, we can make a plan in a middle game to improve the pawn structure.
Another important reason to study pawn structures is that pawns cannot move backward. Pawns are always going forward. So it is important to be careful while making pawn moves.
Pawn structures are also very important in Endgame. Endgame is mostly based on theory. There is very little logic involved. If you already know important positions arriving from the endgame, you can save your time and energy. You can read the book 100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus la de Villa to study endgames. We have reviewed the book in detail, which you can read here.
Best Chess Books on Pawn Structure
Chess Structures by Mauricio Flores Rios
This is a very good chess book for beginners to advanced players. Chilean Grandmaster Mauricio Flores Rios wrote this book. The author focused on the 28 most common structures in chess practice in this book. Here are the three key features of this book.
- Carefully selected model games showing each structure’s main plans and ideas
- Strategic patterns to observe and typical pitfalls to avoid
- 50 positional exercises with detailed solutions
This book focuses on different types of structures arriving from different openings. You can study this book, especially if you love to prepare different openings or understand plans for different openings.
Small Steps to Giant Improvement
This is the best chess book I have ever seen on pawn structures. GM Sam Shankland believes that pawn play is a fundamental aspect of chess strategy, and often players neglect this. The author focuses on the principles of pawn structures and easily understandable guidelines for playing different kinds of pawn structures. The following are the chapters covered in that book.
- Pawns can’t move backward
- Compelling enemy pawns forward
- Pawns seldom move sideways
- Compelling enemy pawns sideways
This book is recommended for below 2000 chess players who seriously want to learn something new.
Small Steps to Success
This is the second part of the above-mentioned book, Small Steps to Giant Improvement. In this book, the author focuses on passed pawns. This book is more difficult than the previous one. The concepts and the pattern of the book are the same. He says that your effectiveness in playing with or against an opponent will make the difference between victory and defeat.
This book is divided into two chapters as follows
- Passed pawns in the middlegame
- Passed pawns in the endgame
This book is available on Amazon and also in retail shops.
All the above three books are published by Quality Chess, the best chess publication in the world.
The Power of Pawns
This book is published by New in Chess, a subsidiary company of Play Magnus Group. In this book, the author explained the importance of pawn structures for beginners. The author also uses practical guides to explain typical structures, strategies, and plans.
His tips are useful for beginners. I would highly recommend this book to every beginner chess player who wants to understand more about pawn structures. This book is available on the New in Chess website.
FAQs
How do we learn different pawn structures arriving from openings?
You can watch hundreds of games from a particular opening. From those games, you will learn many different structures. Also, you can solve positional chess puzzles, which will automatically help you improve different pawn structure patterns.
The last way is to play many blitz games and analyze them deeply. It is the best way to improve your understanding of pawn structures.
What is considered a good pawn structure?
A good pawn structure is usually considered when you don’t have any pawn weakness. There are a few rules about pawn structures that you have to follow. Usually, try to build a pawn chain that will make your pawns strong and obviously very hard to break.
You can learn different types of pawn structures arriving from many openings by referring to the above-mentioned books and courses.
To learn pawn structures, the best way is to learn them. Usually, you can understand many chess concepts by just playing and analyzing them with the engine.
This is not the case with pawn structures. You have to learn it deeply. Atleast try to watch many videos that are available on YouTube for free.
This article was written by FM Nikhil Dixit and Originally published on the Chess Article website
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