how can i know if i have a bad pawn structure?
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im really confused about whats the difference to good and bad pawn structures, because they look almost the same?...
22 days ago
0
#2
I think it’s relatively intuitive. Good pawn structures have pawn chains, series of pawns that each protect the next one. In endgames, fewer pawn islands (groups of commented pawns) are better.
21 days ago
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#3
Some aspects of a bad structure are:
Doubled pawns, 2 pawns on the same file. The one in the back is blocked by the front one, so it can be a weakness if it’s not properly protected. It isn’t always bad, sometimes you want a pawn in front of another.
Isolated pawn, a pawn that has no pawns of the same color on the files neighboring it. You can’t protect it with other pawns, so it can be a weakness.
Backwards pawn, a pawn whose neighboring pawns have passed it.
It has to move forward to be protected by pawns, so it’ll be a weakness unless you move it to a more secure position. Backwards pawns are hard to avoid, since you might have one at the base of your pawn chains.
Doubled pawns, 2 pawns on the same file. The one in the back is blocked by the front one, so it can be a weakness if it’s not properly protected. It isn’t always bad, sometimes you want a pawn in front of another.
Isolated pawn, a pawn that has no pawns of the same color on the files neighboring it. You can’t protect it with other pawns, so it can be a weakness.
Backwards pawn, a pawn whose neighboring pawns have passed it.
It has to move forward to be protected by pawns, so it’ll be a weakness unless you move it to a more secure position. Backwards pawns are hard to avoid, since you might have one at the base of your pawn chains.
21 days ago
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#4
Bad pawn structure usually contains isolated pawns, doubled pawns, backward pawns, pawn islands and weak squares.
21 days ago
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#5
There's a few things.
1. Doubled pawns
A very common issue; this is when two pawns are on the same file. Since they cannot defend each other, can get in the way of other pieces, and can be easily blocked by a single piece, they make for a good place to start an attack. Tripled or even quadrupled pawns can occur in extremely rare situations, and are just as weak for the same reason.
2. Isolated pawns
An isolated pawn is a pawn that has no other friendly pawns on adjacent files. For example, a c-pawn would be isolated if there were no friendly pawns on the b-file or d-file. In endgames an isolated pawn can actually be a strength, especially if it's passed; otherwise, it is almost always a major weakness.
3. Backward pawns
A backward pawn is a pawn that is further behind than all of the other pawns and cannot move forward without exposing itself to capture. Backward pawns can be a major issue unless the piece making them backward is displaced or removed.
I've included an example here, because in my experience it can be rather hard to understand:
The e-pawn is backward.
Pawns that are both doubled and isolated can also occur; typically, these pawns are extremely weak and difficult to defend, making it a very good idea to avoid them.
In an endgame, the strengths and weaknesses of pawns can become quite apparent.
- Doubled pawns can all be stopped at once by the enemy king, making it impossible for them to advance and usually leaving them free to capture.
- Isolated pawns in an endgame can be a double-edged sword; if there are no pieces left on the board, isolated pawns can actually win the game, as the king could be too slow to stop both (especially if they're on opposite sides of the board). But if there's a piece or two left (in particular, a rook), they can usually be stopped pretty easily.
- Backward pawns are probably the worst ones to have in an endgame. They're hard to defend, and if there's no easy way to remove the piece that's making them backward, they become practically useless.