THE POISONED PAWN
What Is A Poisoned Pawn In Chess?
A poisoned pawn in chess is a pawn that appears to be hanging, but a player who captures it suffers a positional or material loss in the next few moves.
The e4-pawn does not have a defender, but it is actually poisoned.
Why Are Poisoned Pawns Important?
Being aware of the concept of a poisoned pawn can protect you from a lot of trouble. If you spot a pawn hanging, it is always a good idea to double-check to see if it is poisoned. Not only that, but you can also use a poisoned pawn to set a trap for your opponents.
Additionally, there are quite a few openings with a poisoned pawn variation, like the London System, the Trompowsky Attack, and the Sicilian Najdorf. Some of these variations have a lot of theory related to them, and that is why it is easy to find yourself in an unfortunate position if you play them without knowing the opening theory or book moves.
Let's take a look at one of the most famous games with a poisoned pawn variation. GM Boris Spassky was playing as White and facing GM Bobby Fischer for the World Championship of 1972. Spassky invited Fischer to capture his b2-pawn and eventually trapped Fischer's queen to win the game.
Boris Spassky vs.Robert James Fischer
1-0Spassky - Fischer World Championship MatchReykjavik ISL06 Aug 1972Round: 11 ECO: B97
1.e4
c5
2. f3
d6
3.d4
cxd4
4. xd4
f6
5. c3
a6
6. g5
e6
7.f4
b6
8. d2
--
This is where the poisoned pawn variation of the Sicilian Najdorf begins. White moves the queen to d2 to protect the c3-knight and invites Black to capture the b2-pawn.8.-- xb2
Fischer accepts the challenge.9. b3
--
Spassky's move starts an effort to trap Fischer's queen.9.-- a3
Black is forced to move his queen back to safety.10. xf6
gxf6
White has already managed to cause damage to Black's pawn structure on the kingside.11. e2
h5
12.O-O
c6
13. h1
d7
14. b1
--
This move was a novelty at the time of this game.14.-- b4
Fischer tries to exchange queens to get rid of the problem he faces as a direct result of capturing the poisoned pawn.15. e3
--
Spassky knows that the black queen is almost trapped and avoids the exchange.15.--d5
Black's plan is to deflect the white e4-pawn so that his knight can find a home on f5.16.exd5
--
White captures the pawn. The black e6-pawn is in an absolute pin and cannot capture back.16.-- e7
17.c4
f5
18. d3
h4
19. g4
d6
20. 1d2
f5
21.a3
--
This move is a perfect example of the dangers of capturing a poisoned pawn. The black queen has almost no safe squares left. Besides, no matter where the queen goes, White will be able to create a devastating attack.21.-- b6
Fischer moves the queen back to one of the only safe squares available.
21... a4
22. c5
a5
23. xd7
xd7
24. b3
d8
In this line, Black would have to retreat his queen to its original square. Black's pieces would be passive while White's pieces would be on the offensive. Not only that, but the black king would be dangerously placed in the middle of the board.
22.c5
b5
Fischer tries to exchange queens one last time.23. c3
--
Spassky knows that Black cannot avoid losing the queen, so he denies the exchange and attacks the undefended black rook on h8.23.--fxg4
Fischer decides to exchange the bishop for his rook to try to alleviate the pressure.24.a4
--
Spassky ignores the hanging rook and goes for the queen. There is no way for Fischer to save his queen now. Spassky, 16 moves after sacrificing the pawn, has an overwhelming advantage that leads to his victory.24.--h3
24... e2
Moving the queen to the only safe square does not help. 25. ae1
After this move the queen is a goner.
25.axb5
hxg2+
Fischer tries to keep playing, but his position is lost.26. xg2
h3
27. f6
f5
28.c6
c8
29.dxe6
fxe6
30. fe1
e7
31. xe6
1-0
In the game above, White let Black capture a "free" pawn but gained a noticeable positional advantage and lead in development that allowed him to push for victory.
Poisoned pawn variations do not guarantee a win for White can win, though. In another famous example of the Poisoned Pawn Najdorf, GM Garry Kasparov outplayed GM Nigel Short and won the game.
Nigel Short vs.Garry Kasparov
0-1Kasparov - Short PCA World Championship MatchLondon ENG14 Sep 1993Round: 4 ECO: B97
87654321abcdefgh
1.e4
c5
2. f3
d6
3.d4
cxd4
4. xd4
f6
5. c3
a6
6. g5
e6
7.f4
b6
8. d2
--
This is the starting position for the poisoned pawn variation of the Sicilian Najdorf.8.-- xb2
Kasparov takes the pawn.9. b3
--
Short starts an effort to trap the black queen.9.-- a3
10. xf6
gxf6
11. e2
c6
12.O-O
d7
13. h1
h5
14. d1
c8
15. e3
b4
16.c3
--
Short offers another "free" pawn on e4.16.-- xe4
Kasparov accepts the challenge and takes the second pawn.17. d3
--
White attacks the black queen, which has just one square that it can go to.17.-- a4
A forced move.18. c4
--
Threatening to fork the rook and the queen after 19.Nb6.18.-- c7
Avoiding the fork.
18... g7
19. b6
19. b6
a3
Another forced move. Kasparov's queen is in trouble.20. ae1
e7
21. c4
--
Forking the queen and the critical d6-pawn.21.-- xc4
A forced move. Kasparov sacrifices the exchange to relieve the pressure.
21... a4
Trying to save the queen like this would be a huge mistake. 22. xd6+
d8
23. xf7+
c8
24. xh8
22. xc4
h4
Now that Kasparov has managed to trade off the powerful c4-knight, he is ready to continue with his assault on the kingside.23. d3
f5
24. e2
g7
25.c4
h3
26.g3
--
A necessary but unfortunate move. The a8-h1 diagonal is now open, and the white king is exposed.26.--d5
Kasparov tries to open the position to take advantage of the exposed white king.27. f3
--
Short sacrifices the pawn to protect the weak diagonal that leads to his king.27.--dxc4
28. e3
c3
Kasparov ignores the knight and pushes the dangerous passed pawn.
28... cxb3
This continuation would give White a chance of counterplay, although Black would still have a better position. 29. d1
29. xc3
--
Short decides to sacrifice his rook to get rid of Kasparov's strong bishop and passed pawn duo.29.-- xc3
30. xc3
O-O
31. g1
c8
32. f6
c6
Kasparov fights for the weak long diagonal.33. xc6
xc6
34.g4
g6
35.gxf5
exf5
36. xf5
xa2
37. xh3
--
Short gets rid of the strong h3-pawn. Nevertheless, Black is still a pawn up. White continues to threaten to play 38.f5 and take advantage of the pinned black knight.37.-- c2
Kasparov finds an ingenious way of protecting himself from the pin.38.f5
c3
Black forks White's queen and knight. Notice that the black queen also protects the g6-square.39. g4
xb3
40.fxg6
c6+
This move forces an exchange of the queens, which would lead to a winning endgame for Black. Short resigned here.
40... c6+
41. g2
xg2+
42. xg2
( 42. xg2
b1+
43. g1
xg1+
44. xg1
fxg6
) fxg6
40... c6+
41. g2
b1+
42. d1
xd1#
0-1
In this game, Short's lead in development and positional gain was not enough for him to win. Kasparov found a way of escaping the assault on his queen and eventually entered a winning position.
As you can see, these variations can lead to very rich and sharp games with winning chances for both sides. If you want to venture into this kind of game, make sure you study these openings with Chess.com's Opening Explorer, so you are not caught off guard.
Test Your Skills
Now that you know what a poisoned pawn is, it is time for you to test your knowledge and tactical perception involving this type of pawn. Solve the puzzles below.
Puzzle 1: Your opponent decides to play the Sicilian Najdorf. After this position, how can White invite Black to enter the poisoned pawn variation?
White to Move
Puzzle 2: In this game between GM Alexander Huzman and Kasparov, Black moves his bishop to the c8-square and leaves his d5-pawn unprotected. Can White take the pawn, or is it poisoned?
Can White capture the d5-pawn with the rook?
Yes, they can take it! In fact, that is the move that Kasparov played in the game. He also took the c4-pawn and won by resignation.
The d4-pawn is not poisoned.
Puzzle 3: Can you demonstrate how White can punish Black if he decides to take the rook with the queen?
White to Move
Puzzle 4: And what would White do if Black decides to capture the white rook with his knight?
IF SOLVED EVERYTHING CORRECT COMMENT
