When Doubled Pawns Are Good

  Sometimes, doubled pawns, tripled, quadrupled etc. can be good. There are 2 situation types where this could happen: the vertical wall and the support.  Today we will look over both those ideas.

  The first idea is the vertical wall. Here is an example from a game I'm playing where I'm white and I have tripled pawns.

 I have tripled pawns. But yet, in this situation, I think they're good. The reason is because black's rooks lose activation on the d-file because the doubled pawns prevent Rd5, Rd4, and Rd3. Although black does have both rooks on the d-file, I think black has to play one of the rooks to d7 or else, I'm pretty black ends up getting mated.

 The second idea is the support. Take the Ruy Lopez Opening for example, normally white ends up playing Ba4 after a6. But there is also the exchange variation, White gives up a piece that can become better than the knight easily, but black gives white doubled pawns. Although the pawn on c6 now if you took with the b pawn helps support d5.