a lot
pawn structure master study ???
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a heckuva freakin lot
Atleast until you get a bald head
Just the basic plans, weaknesses, etc for a structure? Not as many as the others say IMO. If you want to "master" the structure, that would certainly be tons because even GMs mess things up.
So just for the basics, if you're just looking at the games, maybe it would take quite a lot to get a good number of instructive games... but I don't think it's as many as they're suggesting.
Jeez wafflle, there you go again messing up our hyperbole with your reasoned analysis! But "to truly understand"? What's that even mean, exactly? I think that's what we're all reacting to (at least, that's what I'm spoofing). 
to truly understand it...
Can someone show me how to falsely understand pawn structures? Basically, any and all misinformation is welcome. Thanks in advance.
I'm sure most forum contributors would be happy (and more than able) to help you.
Read Pawn structure chess by Soltis. It is a classic and explain the main plans for each major pawn structure. I would also get the one by Baburin that talks about IQP structures.
Well, learning the plans does not take much time. Just the time to read the book about it. Plus maybe looking 2-3 games that were dominated by that ideas.
But making the plan become real on the board, and knowing when to go out of the plan, this is chess, and you can't hope to get better at it without playing games, games, games, and more games.
@<chessmaster102>
Baburin has written a book ("Winning Pawn Structures") entirely devoted to the Isolated Queen Pawn and associated hanging pawn structure (ie. when the IQP is transformed by a capture on c3/c6 and a pawn recaptures). That's some 200 pages alone, compared to 9 pages in Soltis' excellent book, and doesn't even touch backward pawns or doubled pawns.
Another very detailed and high level book is Ivan Sokolov's "Winning Chess Middlegames". The structures are basically from the closed openings and feature 280 pages on doubled pawns, isolated QP, hanging pawns and central pawn majorities.
yea sorry guys when I said truly master I basicly meant how many games would it take to get familiar with what one pawn structure main plan/ideas are. When I said mastered I really only meant how many games is it before im so familiar with a pawn structure that I know when to be consistant with the pawn structure plans and when to deviate from thos ideas.
No matter how strong your pawn structure is, it can be crushed by enemy pawns. What you need to master is the skill of sacrificing to gain advantage, as well as defending your pawns.
To master a structure? hmm GMs are still working on that one so a Lifetime?
Structure is just ideas and plans the level of detail is something players constantly work on.
if your looking for a training plan ,.. I did this with 2 of my students and has seem to helped them gain 200-250 USCF points year.
Focus on a large variety of plans but ONLY on central attacks. good bad or ugly attack and control the center... interestingly that we think about develop pieces, control the center and king safety as opening principles but if you modify the first one to improve your pieces, control the center and king safety they are guiding principles for the whole game.
Solokov's book on pawn structures is a great book but very difficult.. avoid it until your 1800-2000 and you will get more out of it.
I would start with building up layers of knowledge and understanding how they can transform into different positions. closed lead to semi open semi open lead to open positions..
Soltis - pawn structure chess is a primer on all the basic structures. Start here then you can go back and fill in details with other books.
Two older books Fines Idea's behind the chess opening and Horowitz book Chess opening theory and practice are also good but remember they are dated but thats not the point learning the history of openings helps build understanding!
More recent books by everyman: starting out in _____ are a great place to start building knowledge of the basic plans with more words than theory.
The nice part about this approach is that while someone might catch you in an opening due to their greater specific knowledge you can easily catch up on that but your growth will continue at a constant and faster pace once you learn to manipulate openings to different structures they are not ready for. ( the exchange french is a good example of how to lead a position to an open position some french players might not be 100% familar with. or playing a c3 sicilian and transposing into a french structure where most sicilian players are a bit off balance)
This is a little hard to ask cause all day I havent been able to put it into words so maybe typing is somehow better. My question is how many games would one have to look at to truly understand just ONE pawn structures plans, weaknesses etc...