Pawn (chess)

“ To open the game well, some of the pawns should be played out first. The royal pawns, particularly, should be advanced to their fourth square; it is not often safe to advance them farther. The bishop's pawn should also be played out early in the game; but it is not always well to advance the rook’s and knight’s pawns too hastily, as these afford an excellent . protection to your king in case you should castle. Phillidor describes pawn-playing as the "the soul of chess." ”

“ The advance of either Pawn often determines the course the game will follow.
Another thing to be considered is the matter of one or more passed Pawns when they are isolated either singly or in pairs. We might say that a passed Pawn is either very weak or very strong, and that its weakness or strength, whichever happens to be in the case to be considered, increases as it advances, and is at the same time in direct relation to the number of pieces on the board. ”

“ This power of the Pawn to become a Piece increases its importance, in spite of its slow progress across the board and makes it of more value than would at first be imagined. A fine player may always be identified by his judicious handling of the Pawns.
While the Pawn's move is forward in a vertical line, its power of capturing radiates forward diagonally. Thus if a White Pawn occupies QB3 and a Black Pawn stands on Q5, the White Pawn moves diagonally from its QB3 to Q4 and captures the Black Pawn. If there were no adverse Piece to capture, the White Pawn would move to QB4. ”

“ QUEEN AGAINST ROOK
This is one of the most difficult endings without Pawns. The resources of the defence are many, and when used skilfully only a very good player will prevail within the limit of fifty moves allowed by the rules. (The rule is that at any moment you may demand that your opponent mate you within fifty moves. However, every time a piece is exchanged or a Pawn advanced the counting must begin afresh.)
Example 40.—This is one of the standard positions which Black can often bring about. ”

“ The odds of “the marked pawn” can only be given to a much weaker player. A pawn, generally KB’s pawn, is marked with a cap of paper. If the pawn is captured its owner loses the game; he can also lose by being checkmated in the usual way, but he cannot give mate to his adversary with any man except the marked pawn, which may not be moved to an eighth square and exchanged for a piece. ”

“ White can win by advancing any of the three Pawns on the first move, but it is convenient to follow the general rule, whenever there is no good reason against it, of advancing the Pawn that has no Pawn opposing it. ”

“ If now White advances the Pawn, the Black King gets in front of it and White must either give up the Pawn or play K - K 6, and a stale mate results. If instead of advancing the Pawn White withdraws his King, Black brings his King up to the Pawn and, when forced to go back, he moves to K in front of the Pawn ready to come up again or to move in front of the White King, as before, should the latter advance. ”

“ All the Chess-pieces are equal in strength, one to the other. The Pawn can overthrow and capture any piece—the Queen can do no more.
That is to say, at its turn to move, any piece can capture any adverse piece; and this is all that any piece can do.
It is true that the Queen, on its turn to move, has a maximum option of twenty-seven squares, while the Pawn’s maximum never is more than three. ”

“ Only skillful players fully appreciate what can be done with them, and use them to the best advantage. In the opening or middle game, Pawns are more easily supported on K4 or Q4, than when further advanced. Pawns on these squares should be maintained abreast as long as possible; for if one is advanced, the position of the other is weakened. The student will find it beneficial to study end games in which Pawns take part in the checkmate, and also Pawn moves in general throughout the game. ”

“ We see here how the King’s position can be counterbalanced by the weakness of a pawn, and lead to a draw. If the White QBP was not isolated but standing, for instance, at QKt2, Black would be lost, as calculation easily shows.
The strength or weakness of a pawn position, which, as we saw, had so deciding an influence in the end-game position just treated, is one of the most important factors in a game of chess, and should have full consideration in the middle game. A pawn, when isolated, is naturally weaker than when it is or can be protected by another. ”

“ White expects to disrupt Black's Pawns, and thus make them weak.
Though doubled and isolated this Pawn exercises enormous pressure. Black now threatens R - K 3; to be followed by R - Kt 3 and P - R 6 and R 7 at the proper time.
White cannot stand the slow death any longer. {244}He sees danger everywhere, and wants to avert it by giving up his Queen's side Pawns, expecting to regain his fortunes later on by taking the initiative on the King's side.
Much better than taking Pawns. This forces White to defend the Knight with the Rook at K 1, because of the threat R - Kt 3. ”

“ A Rook standing behind an advanced pawn may support its further advance, or, if the pawn should be exchanged, might get an open file.
The damage we wish to inflict on our opponent we must, of course, try to avoid ourselves. Thus we will not easily give up a centre pawn unless we can obtain some other advantage in doing so. This advantage may be, that in exchanging the centre pawn we open up lines of attack for our pieces, or that we are able to place one of our pieces in a commanding position in the centre of the board. ”

“ The fact that a Pawn move opens an outlet for a piece is not sufficient. If possible Pawn moves will have to be found which enable the development of more than one piece for they will lead to an advantage in the mobilization unless the opponent, too, hastens the development of his pieces by equally good Pawn moves.
The only Pawn moves which fit this description are moves with the King's or Queen's Pawns as they open lines for Queen and Bishop— apart from an additional square for the Knight—while the other Pawns cannot free the way for more than one piece. ”

“ The same holds true with regard to Black's K P, K B P and K Kt P, which create what is called a "hole" at Black's K B 3. Such Pawn formations invariably lead to disaster, and consequently must be avoided.
Example 64.—In this position we might say that the White centre Pawns have the attacking position, while the Black centre Pawns have the defensive position. Such a formation of Pawn occurs in the French Defence. In such positions White most often attempts, by means of P - K B 4 and K B 5, to obtain a crushing attack against Black's King, which is generally Castled on the King's side. ”

“ When you have two Pawns abreast, the King and Queen's, for instance, at their fourth squares, should the adversary attack one of them with a Pawn, it is occasionally better to advance the Pawn that is attacked another step, than to take the Pawn. ”

“ With a Pawn more and all his pieces ready for action, while Black is still backward in development, it only remains for White to drive home his advantage before Black can come out with his pieces, in which case, by using the open K R file, Black might be able to start a strong attack against White's King. White is able by his next move to eliminate all danger.
This is practically forced. Black could not play P - Kt 3 because of B × P, and White meanwhile threatened Q - R 8 ch followed by Kt - B 5 ch and Q × P. {200}
Black must lose time assuring the safety of this Pawn. ”

“ It may, however, for its first move advance two steps, provided no hostile Pawn commands the first square over which he leaps, for, in that case, the adverse Pawn has the option of taking him in his passage, as if he had moved one step only. A Pawn is the only one of the forces which goes out of his direction to capture, and which has not the advantage of moving backwards ”

“ It remains to find out if the advantage obtained is sufficient to win. White not only has a passed Pawn, but his King is in a commanding position in the centre of the board ready to support the advance of White's Pawns, or, if necessary, to go to Q B 5, or to move to the right wing in case of danger. Besides, White holds the open file with one of his Rooks. Altogether White's position is superior and his chances of winning are excellent. ”

“ He is not allowed to Queen the Pawn, and if he loses it, or happens to checkmate his opponent with any other man, he forfeits the game. The Pawn usually capped is the King's Knight's, because it can be more readily and effectually surrounded by protecting Pieces. ”

“ There are not many developing pawn moves to choose from. Apparently from the point of view of quick development only P-K4 and P-Q4 need be considered, since they free both Bishop and Queen, whilst other pawn moves liberate one piece only. Generally speaking it is only required to move two or three pawns to allow all pieces to be developed, and it is good, on principle, to make only such pawn moves in the opening, which are necessary for the development of pieces. ”

“ The break-up of the pawn position on the Q side can become awkward in the end-game and sometimes in the middle-game when the pawns can be attacked, and pieces brought to bear on the Queen’s side without leaving the King’s side denuded of forces. ”

“ It is not advisable though to give up a minor piece for three Pawns or two minor pieces for a Rook and one Pawn as long as Queens and minor pieces are on the board, as with a piece ahead the opponent mostly succeeds in winning through a direct attack against the King before the superiority of Pawns becomes dangerous. ”

“ The pawn on the chess-board has a life of a very uneventful character, simply because his progress is slow, methodical, and unchanging. Not so the knight, who, with all the errantry of his race, dashes here and there, encountering every rank and condition of men,—continually in difficulties himself, or the cause of them to others. ”

“ But when considering the form of a pawn position and that of the pieces, we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that pawn formation must necessarily be the dominant consideration in our mind. Pawn formation is of a more permanent character than that of the pieces, in consequence of the latter’s greater mobility. When we have made a rash move with a piece, to which our attacking disposition may have tempted us, we may still have a chance of retrieving the position by timely retreat. ”

“ There is one peculiar rule to be remembered in connection with the move of the Pawn. If a Pawn uses his privilege of making a double step to avoid capture by a hostile Pawn he can be put back one square and captured just the same. For instance, in Diagram 2, if the white Pawn stood on h5 and Black moved his Pawn to g5, White could put Black's Pawn back to g6 and capture him with his Pawn. ”

“ What has been said of irregular replies which Black may try in King's Pawn openings holds good in Queen's Pawn openings too. There is no series of opening moves which needs to be memorized. The principles of speedy development and of the maintenance of a Pawn center lead the right way in all novel openings which a player might try to avoid the well-known paths which have been studied out by the masters of many generations. ”

“ A position not unlike that in Diagram 92 will result ultimately, in which Black defends the pawn as many times as it is attacked, but in which White can bring up his KP to the attack, as the QP cannot move away, whilst Black has no further defensive move at his disposal. Play against a backward pawn nearly always develops on these lines, and is even easier when there is no defending B of the same colour as the pawn. ”

“ A second consideration is the fact that the advancing pawn itself becomes a target for an assault in which the opponent, moving up a pawn on the next file, brings his Rooks into play, or in which he sacrifices a piece for the advanced pawn and the one that protects it, thus robbing the King of the protection he sought to obtain in castling. ”

“ It is less apparent why a Pawn move should create a weakness if a center-Pawn or a Pawn on the Queen's wing is concerned. In the latter case, the possibility of deriving an advantage during the middle-game is rare, indeed; but the weakness produced by the Pawn moves invariably shows itself in the ending. In the position of Diagram 58 for instance, White wins on account of the weakness of the squares a6, c6, d5 and b5 from which his King can attack the Black Pawns as soon as the Queen and the Rook are exchanged. ”

“ If one side or the other emerges from the conflict with some material gain, it will generally be possible to force a mate in the end-game, whilst if both sides have succeeded by careful play to preserve equality of material, a draw will generally ensue.
It will be found a little later that a single pawn may suffice, with some few exceptions, to achieve a victory, and we shall adopt the following leading principle for all combinations, viz. loss of material must be avoided, even if only a pawn. It is a good habit to look upon every pawn as a prospective Queen. ”

“ We must take it for granted that the student has already reached a stage where, while not being able fully to understand every move, yet he can derive benefit from any discussion with regard to them.
[7] A "hole" in chess parlance has come to mean a defect in Pawn formation which allows the opponent to establish his forces in wedge formation or otherwise without the possibility of dislodging him by Pawn moves. Thus, in the following diagram, Black has two holes at K B 3 and K R 3, where White forces, e.g. a Kt or B, could establish themselves, supported by pieces or Pawns. ”