Pawns are the Soul of Chess

The pawn is a surprisingly strong piece. To beginners, this may seem a ridiculous statement, but, through the work of François-André Danican Philidor, the importance of pawn structure  and the power of the passed pawn became the staple of modern chess, directing the game away from the wild sacrifices of the Italian masters, Greco and Polerio.

This first game of Philidor was played in his early career, where Philidor wins after sacrificing a rook for the benefit of two passed pawns.