I think you and I have discussed this breifly before Aoife, but personally, I LOVE pawn endgames. Are they good? That depends on how you define good. They tend to be incredibly complex, where one innocuous seeming move can be a winner or a loser. They require a lot of effort and time to really think over.
Pawn Endgames
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I hate pawn endgames!
OP:
Try to avoid pawn endgames until you've studied them. Often I'll try to get to a pawn endgame, forcing trades, especially if my opening is weak, because it's less for me to have to think about and I'm fairly confident (usually mistakenly confident... pride before a fall and all that).
Try to avoid doubling your pawns, isolating your pawns, or letting your opponent get a passed pawn. Try to get a passed pawn yourself; protect pawns with pawns.
If you see your opponent trying to trade everything off, it might mean he/she wants a pawn game... which I'd be wary of (never a good idea to do what your opponent wants, right?). If this happens and you have no other choice but to trade off, take control of the situation by initiating the trades that leave your pieces strong (like pawns protecting pawns, for example, each on their own file) and your opponent's pieces strung out.
My $.02
I think that instead of trying to avoid these kinds of endgames it would be better to study the basics of them, so that if you get into a position where you have a small advantage you can be confident in trading down to a won ending and having the ability to convert it, it's relatively safe. Simple endgames are really some of the first things a beginner should learn, I would say right after learning the basic opening principles but before learning any specific opening.
The most important things to know about king-and-pawn endings are 1. King activity- this is really the most important thing with all endings; the king must become an active piece to control squares and threaten other pieces, and this is more amplified without any other pieces. The king can go in and take out a whole horde of pawns, and it can protect yours, ensuring them paths to queening. 2. Opposition- it's good to have your king lined up from the opposite king with exactly 1 square between them at the end of your turn, as then the opponent's king can't move forward, and if he doesn't have any other moves he can safely make (a real possibility with limited material) will have to let your king advance. 3. Promotion to queen is key. Watch out for sacrifices of a few pawns to ensure the queening of a single one, which would be a pretty sure win. 4. On this note, know how to win with K+Q against K+pawns
There is a good amount more, but this should be a good start- remember to activate your king!
Most pawn endings are not "slightly better" or "slightly worse" affairs but won or lost. Don't trade down into a pawn endings unless you're certain of the result, or the alternative is catastrophic for you anyway. H ere are some great introductory lessons:
If you have questions about specific positions, or need next steps after going through these, don't hesitate to ask. :)
Note Game #1 in this post, a practical example of converting a pawn endgame:
http://blog.chess.com/likesforests/my-world-open-final-round
I find pawn endgames very difficult when each side has equal pawns.
Just grab your opponent's pawn then and it will be all easy!
How can I open my eyes from move 1 to have a solid pawn endgame?
Lift your eyelids! That will surely help a lot.
Is an all pawn endgame even a good thing?
I think a won game is a good thing. Other than that it's all just a huge mess waiting to be resolved.
If not, what if my opponent attempts a trade massacre of all pieces? How should I react!?
Well, you massacre him back of course!..Having a weapon handy at times like these is always a bonus. Ranging from a 'Samurai sword'- kendo..to a multiple rocket launcher with automatic cooling system or a 55-caliber gun with sequential timers and auto-optical adjust and damped-vibration system, which is good for accuracy!
Lot's of good resources out there, here are some examples from my games that are pretty well annotated and commented on:
One side has an extra pawn:
http://blog.chess.com/Loomis/king-and-pawn-endings
Equal number of pawns:
http://blog.chess.com/Loomis/king-and-pawn-endings-ii
http://blog.chess.com/Loomis/king-and-pawn-endings-iii
http://blog.chess.com/Loomis/king-and-pawn-endings-iv
With so many examples, it's clear that king and pawn endings have a certain practical value.
I find pawn endgames very difficult when each side has equal pawns.
How can I open my eyes from move 1 to have a solid pawn endgame?
Is an all pawn endgame even a good thing?
If not, what if my opponent attempts a trade massacre of all pieces? How should I react!?
Thanks
Aoife