The power of the pawn

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Avatar of joaoporto

I begin to think that we must give really importance to our pawn structure during the game. A pawn is just a pawn but it could also become a queen. I have lost severall games because i didnt pay to many attention to the pawns. What do you think about the power of pawns in chess? Are they really the soul of chess?

 

 


Avatar of snowboardk716
that is good    pawns just look like pawns but that little pawn that doesn't get payed much attention can really be the game winning peice.
Avatar of tworthington1

 I have been beaten after what I thought to be a hard victory because I forgot to consider the pawn.  I think what we consider to be an unimportant piece, because it can not move or cover an area like the other pieces we forget that a game can be lost or won by the pawn.


Avatar of uritbon

once the peices are gone, pawns are all thats left...


Avatar of Mebeme

pawns are like the bunkers , barriers(that knights bounce overWink), and cover from attacks, think of chess with no pawns......


Avatar of joaoporto
Mebeme, funny chessboard you presented :-)
Avatar of mineta

A lot of people think that the pawns are the souls of chess. I don't think so.  


Avatar of ponar
i think pawns are important for the game as they always be needed ... even in the ending of a game
Avatar of mytself
Pawns are members of your team. The books written about this game emphasize to always try and get equal value for your pieces. So pawns are not valued as much as the other pieces. Some say sacrifice pawns for positional developement, to sacrifice is to give up value. So pawns are indeed valuable. As we develope our chess skills, it is not the pawn that changes, but our perceptions of it's worth. As the game progresses the lowly pawn can keep out a more powerful piece, just by the value of the exchange, who wants to trade a rook for a pawn, and as already stated they are potential queens.
Avatar of Marshal_Dillon
Read Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch. He uses some strange terminology but once you get past that you'll see how pawns really work. 
Avatar of maniac2008
pawns 2 me are just as important 2 me as most of the other peices ... they can cum in very handy towards the middle/end of a game
Avatar of bruciebaby
joaoporto wrote:

I begin to think that we must give really importance to our pawn structure during the game. A pawn is just a pawn but it could also become a queen. I have lost severall games because i didnt pay to many attention to the pawns. What do you think about the power of pawns in chess? Are they really the soul of chess?

 

 


Yes they are. Partly because they all have the power to become Q's but also because they determine the freedom, or lack of it, of the pieces. In our last game you allowed my pawns to advance and I had them on b4,c5 and d6. You had your B's on b8 and b7. Neither could get out. It was like you were playing with two pieces down! Your position was completely lost because of the pawns. They were as good as two pieces.


Avatar of maniac2008
well said bruciebaby
Avatar of joaoporto
yes, bruciebaby, it was one more game that i lost because the advanced pawns you played very well.
Avatar of maniac2008
lol...
Avatar of KingsMove

Pawns are just pawns in the opening and middlegame, they are expendable and unimportant but in the ending they become the absolute epicenter of play. Never underestimate the power of passed pawns.


Avatar of joaoporto
i think in the middlegame, pawns begin to have a decisive importance to the end of the game.
Avatar of maniac2008

yes joaoporto ... i totally agree

 


Avatar of joaoporto

Here it goes the game where bruciebaby smashed me with advanced paws:


Avatar of joaoporto
joaoporto wrote:

Here it goes the game where bruciebaby smashed me with advanced paws:

 


Sorry,i did something wrong; i will try to put the game :-(