Isolated pawns

I was wondering how to handle Isolated pawns, both offensively and defensively. For example:

How should white handle the Isolated d-pawn. Also, how should black handle it??

White: Put stuff behind it and push

Black: Put stuff in front of it and prvent pushing

Maybe I should write a book.

The key to the ISO position is control of the square in front of the pawn. So in a typical IQP position, where white has the IQP, the d5 square is of paramount importance. White can try for piece play on e5, rooks on the open files, Bd3, Qc2 (or Qd3, Bc2), but very often one way for white to get a big advantage is to prepare and then execute the d5 advance. Which can only be done by controlling the d5 square.

Study the games of Karpov with the isolated pawn, he played with and against it and I dont think there is anyone who played such positions better.....

In terms of the pieces white wants to keep the minors on and attack, so black wants to get rid of them. I've heard that black wants to keep the majors on (to attak the pawn and restrict whites King in the endgame) but I've never had that position in a game so it is basically hearsay.

The Tarrasch Defense was Kasparov's favorite leading up to the 1984 match. It is one of the most basic IQP openings there are. I read in one of my books that his opponents would play certain move orders just to avoid it.

I don't disagree that Karpov might be the first choice, but these early Kasparov games might be great as well.

Didn't Kasparov stop using it when he ran into the IQP expertise of Karpov though?

Not implying anything.

Botvinnik was also a lover of the IQP.

It would make it doubly-interesting. Look at his games against others - how did he play the position, what were the plans, how did he draw or win, or how did he get beat?

Then look at the super K-K games and see how it changes. If you can find a top GM who is not the BEST at the position, then you can see how things change when he plays against better or worse players. More to learn, one might say.

 Some of the best advice I have seen yet !

I was trying to get better in these positions not too long ago -- after playing over lets say 10-20 GM games, I got confused for when was the right time to prepare d4-d5, when was the standard kingside attack with the b1-h7 diagonal correct, and when just using active piece play in general was the best. 

I really enjoyed playing over some of the attacks after forcing g6 and then putting the bishop on a2-g8 or otherwise swinging the queen around the the g/h files with a knight on e5 or g5 -- lots of fun sacs and king hunts... but I couldn't reproduce them.

As for the d4-d5 it's hard for me to tell when the timing is right, I did so-so but was never comfortable.  I guess it takes a lot of experience and practice, I was mostly facing it out of a caro and would go for the panov 4.c4 -- but these IQP positions seem so difficult I want to go back to the advance or exchange.

Anyway for me these position are not easy at all, even though I know the basic d5 is important, endgame disadvantage, active piece play blah blah blah hehe.  So by all means get K vs K or separately, but don't expect to understand it in the short them, it might take a good while and many losses.  (and like previous post said, basic tactics are much more important right now).