What’s the best pawn structure for a beginner to learn first?

Hey everyone! As part of my Winter Blunderland series on Youtube, I am posting a question every day in December. Today's question: What’s the best pawn structure for a beginner to learn first?

I actually don't know any pawn structures currently, so I would love to know where to start

Definitely following this one because I'm clueless as well. But I love a good 'ol pawn cube

I know that for beginners like me, not paying attention to control over light versus dark squares with respect to which bishop might get traded off is a big potential miss for us. It's just not something I think about until I'm watching a Gotham video.

I have not a clue 🤣😭😭 I have a silman book about full mastery in chess but I haven't reached that section yet 🙄😱 the book has game examples of the subjects but it's the reader who needs to understand the material so I'm stuck in the first section/chapter/whatevs.....

The Phalanx is when you have at least three Pawns side-by-side on the 4th rank. Like this:

Pawn Play and Structure - for Beginners and Beyond…

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/chess-books-on-pawn-play-and-structure

Carlsbad pawn structure. It's very common in many 1.e4 openings.

The most important pawn structures to study, at any level, are the ones occurring in your own games. The pawn structure distinguishes one opening from another. If you're an 1.e4 player, it would make little sense for you to study structures that are typical for 1.d4 openings, like the Indian complex or the Benoni. So, whatever openings you play as Black or White, you should, primarily, study those structures.

Of course, some pawn structures can occur in a variety of openings, such as the Carlsbad structure. This structure occurs quite frequently in your games , so I would start there. After that, move on to the opening that you play with both colors. In your case that's the Caro-Kann since you start with 1.e4 and play the Caro-Kann against 1.e4. Continue by studying structures that are relevant to you based on the openings you play. In general, pawn structures and openings should be studied together.

Good question!

I'd like to say isolated queen pawn but somehow think that starting with a stable structure (like the advance French) with more limited plans may be better.

the best pawn structure is to have a pawn structure

I just noticed that your post was downvoted by some jackass, so I just wanted to acknowledge your work that went into compiling the different sources available on your blog, and to say thank you for the effort and for sharing, esp in light of the fact that even the guy who started this page by asking the question about pawn structures doesn't seem to give a sh!t about anyone taking the time to answer.

Not a whole structure, per se, but I'd say it's probably best for beginners to play open games. Basically, play 1. e4 e5 from both sides, and find a way to play a pawn break early (usually the d or f pawn) if your opponent doesn't, so that a pair of central pawns are traded early.

The reason this is so frequently recommended for beginners is that trading some pawns opens up the board for tactical piece play, without the pawns getting in the way. This is the main thing beginners need to learn how to handle early. Almost all closed games open up eventually, so you need to know how to handle open positions. But if you start with an open position early in the game, then you don't need to learn how to handle the closed positions until later in your chess career.

Learn open positions first, then learn the positional maneuvering in closed positions that will let you open things up in your favor later in your chess career.

Chess is a strategic board game played between two opponents, each controlling 16 pieces: a king, queen, rooks, knights, bishops, and pawns. The goal is to checkmate the opponent's king, meaning it is under attack and cannot escape capture. Chess involves deep thinking, planning, and foresight, with players aiming to outmaneuver each other through tactical moves and long-term strategies. It has a rich history, dating back over a thousand years, and is played worldwide. Chess fosters critical thinking, patience, and problem-solving skills, making it both an intellectually stimulating and enjoyable game for players of all ages.
 
 
 
 

No, actually. Pawn structures are very important in beginner levels, and after around 6 months of learning the basics and important things, pawn structures should be studying paw structures as they are present in all 3 phases of a chess game. They can even give little hints and tricks [for example, when the center is locked, the side your pawns point to (like a finger) in the center is the side you should attack. If you want to know why, go research or read Jeremy Silmans 'The Amateurs Mind' book, its really good and instructive.]

Ok lets play match and we will see how much pawn structure matters.

Pawns form the "terrain" of the chess board.

Terrain sets the pace of the battle, and often the objectives as well.

Even a player who is only 200 to 400 tactically can benefit enormously from learning how to read the terrain.

Awesome thank you so much!!

I agree! Great post! Thanks for pointing that out. And sorry for not responding to all posts.