Hi everyone! In this forum we will discuss when it is and is not good to play pawn f3/f6. It's been a running joke on our team that f6 is always a terrible move and should never be played. Grandmaster Ben Finegold even says all the time: "Never play f6."
While this tends to be true in most cases, there are times when it is good, and even necessary, to play this move.
This is one thing that makes chess super interesting: For every "rule" we make for what types of moves should or shouldn't be played, there is an exception for every one of them (except for don't get mated). For example: Knights on the Rim are Dim. There are openings where Knights are developed to the side of the board (a3 or a6) and then rerouted to c2 or c4 (c7 or c5). Therefore, we should look at these types of rules more as general guidelines, and should always keep our options open.
That being said, I will show a couple of ideas that illustrate why playing f6 or f3 has become a bad idea in many cases.
Example 1: The Damiano Gambit- This one is very common at the beginner level. Black plays f6 on move 2 in an effort to protect his pawn on e5. Unfortunately for Black, White can punish this immediately.
Example 2: The Thematic g6 Sacrifice (with either a Knight or Bishop)- When you put the Queen on the h-file and your opponent has already played f6, look for this idea with the g6 sacrifice to open up the rook.
So now we see why people say not to play f6. Whenever the move is played, there are weaknesses on the light squares around Black's King.
So when is it ok to play f6? Now we will look at an example
Example: The French and Caro Kann Structures- Breaking in the Center-Anytime you get the following pawn structure, where White has pawns on d4 and e5, Black needs to try to break in the center with c5, f6, or sometimes both if he wants any chance at getting counter play. Of course, Black must always be sure to have enough defenders for the weak e6 pawn.
The Tarrasch Variation of the French:
So what have we learned?
Playing f6 as a way of defending e5, or as a defensive move in general can result in trouble because of the weaknesses it leaves behind. Before playing f6, make sure that it doesn't result in any weaknesses that can be quickly exploited. However, when entering the middlegame, f6 can be considered to break in the center as long as it does not create any weaknesses that can easily be attacked.
In short, f6 is often a bad move that can be punished if it is played defensively and without fully analyzing the threats White has; however, when used properly, it can be used to give Black good counter play.
Hi everyone! In this forum we will discuss when it is and is not good to play pawn f3/f6. It's been a running joke on our team that f6 is always a terrible move and should never be played. Grandmaster Ben Finegold even says all the time: "Never play f6."
While this tends to be true in most cases, there are times when it is good, and even necessary, to play this move.
This is one thing that makes chess super interesting: For every "rule" we make for what types of moves should or shouldn't be played, there is an exception for every one of them (except for don't get mated). For example: Knights on the Rim are Dim. There are openings where Knights are developed to the side of the board (a3 or a6) and then rerouted to c2 or c4 (c7 or c5). Therefore, we should look at these types of rules more as general guidelines, and should always keep our options open.
That being said, I will show a couple of ideas that illustrate why playing f6 or f3 has become a bad idea in many cases.
Example 1: The Damiano Gambit- This one is very common at the beginner level. Black plays f6 on move 2 in an effort to protect his pawn on e5. Unfortunately for Black, White can punish this immediately.
Example 2: The Thematic g6 Sacrifice (with either a Knight or Bishop)- When you put the Queen on the h-file and your opponent has already played f6, look for this idea with the g6 sacrifice to open up the rook.
So now we see why people say not to play f6. Whenever the move is played, there are weaknesses on the light squares around Black's King.
So when is it ok to play f6? Now we will look at an example
Example: The French and Caro Kann Structures- Breaking in the Center- Anytime you get the following pawn structure, where White has pawns on d4 and e5, Black needs to try to break in the center with c5, f6, or sometimes both if he wants any chance at getting counter play. Of course, Black must always be sure to have enough defenders for the weak e6 pawn.
The Tarrasch Variation of the French:
So what have we learned?
Playing f6 as a way of defending e5, or as a defensive move in general can result in trouble because of the weaknesses it leaves behind. Before playing f6, make sure that it doesn't result in any weaknesses that can be quickly exploited. However, when entering the middlegame, f6 can be considered to break in the center as long as it does not create any weaknesses that can easily be attacked.
In short, f6 is often a bad move that can be punished if it is played defensively and without fully analyzing the threats White has; however, when used properly, it can be used to give Black good counter play.