when your oppoenent has double pawns, it really can mess his plans up and his game in general... i vote not to ALWAYS take pawns that are there for the taking. also leaving pawns that are blocking pieces from being able to develope can really help you.
always take a pawn if possible?
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How does taking that pawn work into your general strategy? Would taking it weaken a current attack or draw defenses away from a crucial area of the board? If so maybe not. Does taking the pawn put you in a good position? Definitely take it. Neither? Take it more often than not, depending on the board. (material is material)
May 20, 2009
0
#4
Hell no. Take the material.
Also the spot likely an outpost for your piece.
Bermuda wrote:
It all depends on the situation you're in, if you can give a diagram of a position where that would be possible I can maybe tell. But if you think it's safe to take a pawn, then grab the opportunity!
early in game, 10 moves in, i'm black to move... it should also be noted that this is a current game im playing on facebook and not looking for advice on what to play, i already took the pawn on c3, but after i moved i was wondering the original post....
May 20, 2009
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#6
id' probably take in that situation, but i wouldn't be surprised if that's wrong. i suck
No it's bad because he can play Bxh7+ if you don't take it then he gets the pawn back and opens your kingside up and if you do Qd3+ winning the knight back so you're again equal material except you lost a key pawn.
emschorsch wrote:
No it's bad because he can play Bxh7+ if you don't take it then he gets the pawn back and opens your kingside up and if you do Qd3+ winning the knight back so you're again equal material except you lost a key pawn.
ahh shit.. i see that now. i got suckered....
thanks for the input
May 20, 2009
0
#9
doubletake wrote:
It might be more useful to ask: why should I take this pawn?.. is there something better at hand?; can taking the pawn wait a move or two?
Development can be more rewarding than pawn grabbing and in fact many gambits offer a pawn or two for positional leverage that can be cashed in later..
agreed. cuz here's the thing... these pieces are usually not going anywhere. and if they are--you should be able to see that. stacked pawns seem to be more of a pain in the side of the guy who has them, not the guy facing them. all that being said, i may have seriously thought about taking...
I was up 4 material points in a game and decided to casually pawn grab and the next thing I knew, I was mated. It's the poisoned pawn theory. What's your opp doing while your grabing a pawn or two and why are they "letting" you do it?
At a low level and in blitz games pawn snatching is ok in most positions, but in long games or against fairly decent oponents it's a bad idea even when it seems "safe" because usually pawn grabbing leads to loss of tempo which can lead to a crushing attack. As a semi example I offer up this game I played on this site (live) where a stronger player went pawn snatching and payed for it.
If you get a chance, take a look at the Chess Mentor program on chess.com It will help recognize tactical shots, develope your positional understanding, expose you to several brillant games by some of the best players of all time, and amuse you with superb notations by great instructors such as IM Silman.
Most of the time two pawns even if they are doubled are better than just one pawn.
However, such generalities can be very dangerous and you really have to assess every position individualy. When considering capturing a pawn you have to ask yourself what the opponent gets in return (in other words where's the compensation). If there's no compensation then the opponent has blundered and you should definitely capture but often there's some compensation in one form or another and you have to decide which one is more important the compensation your opponent gets or your extra material. This can be a difficult question but then again chess wouldn't be that interesting if it was easy.
Say my opponent has a double pawn on c2 and c3 for instance. And say I can take the C3 pawn safely, should I? Or is the double pawn better for me??