Pawn Structure In Chess

Table Of Contents

1. Introduction

2. What Is A Pawn Structure?

3. What Makes Up A Pawn Structure?

4. Conclusion

Introduction

The pawn may be the smallest and weakest piece, but that is not all these petite fighters are. They have the ability to become a majestic queen if they run so far to reach the boundaries of the game. In fact, in one chess variant, they become a mighty king! But that is not all pawns are good for. They can restrict the opponent's play, gain space, and much more. When this little battalion is properly used, it is unstoppable.

"[It is important] to play the pawns well; they are the soul of chess: it is they which uniquely determine the attack and defense, and on their good or bad arrangement depends entirely the winning or losing of the game." - Francois-Andre Danican Philidor.

What Is A Pawn Structure?

The pawn structure is the placement of every pawn on the board ignoring the other pieces.

What Makes Up A Pawn Structure?

Weak Squares

Pawn structures determine which squares are "weak" on the board. A weak square cannot be defended by the pawns of one color. Knights are especially strong when placed on one of these, and this is called an outpost. Here, we see an example which took place in the 16th game of the 1985 World Championship match with Garry Kasparov pitted against Anatoly Karpov.

Kasparov's majestic stallion on d3 was later called the "octopus knight" because it controlled so many key squares in the enemy camp single-handedly. Notice that because none of Karpov's pawns could control the d3 square, it became a target for Kasparov.

Weak Pawns

One of the arguably most important functions of pawns are their ability to defend each other. However, a weak pawn does not have any comrades to hold its hand. In the position below, though material is equal, White is completely winning because of all of Black's structural weaknesses.

The most common types of weak pawns we see are doubled, isolated, or backwards.

Doubled pawns are where two pawns of the same color reside on the same file. Because they cannot keep each other safe and limit the other's movement, they are bullseyes for the other player. In some cases they are beneficial, but for this to occur there must be other positional advantages. In the position above, the b pawns are doubled, contributing to the horrible position Black has.

Isolated pawns have no other pawns of the same color beside them. If we look once again at the position above, we see the f and h pawns are isolated, forcing the king to hang around them, protecting them. One may accept a pawn like this in the middlegame or opening if it starts an attack or allows extra play, however it is a very large liability in the endgame.

Finally, backwards pawns cannot receive support from their other tiny allies because they have advanced ahead of it. An important feature of them is that the square directly ahead of them is controlled by the opponent, therefore advancing would simply lose the pawn. You can see the dillemma here, where it is not quite isolated but has many of the same features. If one is able to advance their backwards pawn, you are in tip-top shape and can alleviate the pain that one piece causes you. Now, it is time to whip out a new diagram which shows an example of these.

Piece Mobility

Pawns are very good at securing space on the board, controlling key squares, and even blocking other pieces from moving. My absolute favorite opening is when I play the English with a3 followed by b4. I find that my Queenside space tends to be tough on my opponent and allows for my pieces to find better squares. The position below was taken from one of my real games.

Let's take a look at another position where the idea of piece mobility being heightened or hindered is more clearly shown.

Notice that Black is better here because the White bishop will never become active due to being jailed in by its own pawns, while the knight's movements are not stopped. In a position courtesy of chessfox.com, the White bishop is so prohibited by each pawn's control, contributing to Black's overwhelming advantage. It is as if Black is simply playing up a knight, while the White bishop is more useful as a tall pawn.

Open or Closed?

The nature of the pawn structure tells us whether the position is open or closed.

A closed position is where most of the pawns are fixed on their square, being blockaded. There are few open lines for pieces to move on, therefore the knights become more powerful than the bishops here. This is because the knight can jump over the stationary pawns while the bishops cannot. Closed positions tend to be very positional.

An open position is where no pawns are stuck in place and usually three pawns that have been traded off. The play shifts to the minor and major pieces because of that fact. These kinds of positions are typically very tactical exactly because pawns are less important and pieces can use their full potential and mobility.

Pawn Chains

Pawn chains are lines of pawns that lie on the same diagonal and are all connected, so that only one pawn at the bottom is undefended. If you play against one of these menacing trains, it is best to attack the base, or the pawn at the way bottom.

Pawn Islands

A pawn island is a cluster of connected pawns. It is typically better to have less of these rather than more, because the more you have, the harder it is to defend them all because they are so spread out. In the following position, White has the better structure because he has two pawn Islands versus Black's three.

Space

Space on the chess board (not the cosmos) is really just how many squares you control compared to your opponent. If one controls more squares, they will have more space. It is considered an advantage to possess more territory, because your opponent's position will be cramped and it will be hard to find good squares to land their pieces on. When your opponent is down on space, their pieces will fight for a good square to land on. Therefore, you should generally not trade pieces because it will only help your opponent to alleviate the uncomfort of having too many pieces with nowhere to place them. In the position below, White has an overwhelming space advantage against Black. In a real game, Black would never allow for a position like this to occur, but nevertheless it is a good example.

Conclusion

All in all, it is true what Francois-Andre Danican Philidor said, the pawns are truly the soul of chess. If you have backward, isolated, or doubled pawns, it could very well cost you the game in an endgame. The same is true if your pieces are hindered by the pawns and your opponent's are supported. However, having more pawn islands and better pawn chains is certainly a structural advantage. So, when you play your next game on the 64 squares we all love so dearly, keep an eye out to make sure your all of your pawns stay healthy.