PAWN BREAKS
Let’s first define what a pawn break is. If you move a pawn in a way that it could be taken by an enemy pawn and hence you would be able to take this pawn next move, we speak of a pawn break. In short: A pawn break is creating tension between pawns. One might also use the terms “pawn thrust” or “lever” synonymously.
Most of the time, you cannot attack your opponent’s position with pieces alone, as your opponent’s pawns resemble impenetrable barbed wire. Only after you have paved the way with pawn breaks, your pieces can enter the battle with a high degree of effectiveness.
63. Where are potential pawn breaks?
In order to evaluate a position and to come up with a plan, you have to (amongst many other things) detect the potential pawn breaks for both sides. Sometimes it so happens, that in closed positions one side has one or more pawn breaks available, while the other one has none. In this case, only the player with the pawn breaks can play for a win. If he decides to do nothing, the game will end in a draw. Hence, if you want to win, make sure not to enter positions void of any levers.
64. Can I create weak pawns by means of a pawn break?
One of the main goals of a pawn break is the creation of weak pawns. In the French Defense, Black often plays …c7-c5 followed by …cxd4 to create a weak pawn on d4. White, on the other hand, would like to play f2-f4-f5 with the option to create a weak pawn on e6 after capturing there. In the King’s Indian one of the ideas of White’s typical operation c4-c5xd6 is to create a weak pawn on d6.
65. How can I cause weak squares by means of a pawn break?
Creating weak squares by pawn breaks is a standard procedure. If I play a5-a6, forcing Black to answer …b7-b6, I might later use the square c6 as a beautiful outpost for my pieces.
66. Can I undermine an important pawn (stronghold) by means of a pawn break?
Let’s consider the following King’s Indian pawn structure: White: c4, d4, e4 and Black: c6, d6, e5. In some positions White can apply the underminer c4-c5. After …dxc5, White would answer dxe5, making Black’s entire pawn center disappear.
67. Can I weaken my opponent’s king position through a pawn break?
As king safety is a huge topic in chess, we should always be on the lookout for ways to weaken our opponent’s king position. Let’s return to our example from the French Defense, where we were pushing our pawn to f5. Instead of capturing on e6, the alternative is to create a pawn wedge by playing f5-f6, thus threatening to open up Black’s kingside. If Black wants to keep the position closed by answering …g7-g6, both the square g7 (Qh6-g7#) and the pawn h7 will become incredibly weak.
68. How should I move my pawns in order to open lines or squares for my pieces?
A pawn break will often lead to a boost in piece activity. In our example from the French Defense, the move f4-f5 opens up the c1-h6 diagonal for the bishop (and queen), the f-file for the rooks and the square f4 for the knights.
69. Can I liberate my position by means of a pawn break?
There are many openings where Black is restricted to three ranks and doesn’t have pawns on the fifth rank. Of course, gaining one’s fair share of space is always a good motivation to advance with one of the pawns to the 5th rank. For instance, in the Slave Defense, there are two typical levers: …e6-e5 and …c6-c5. Sometimes, you want to liberate yourself from a cramped position. In the French Defense White’s pawn e5 is very annoying, as it constitutes a big space advantage on the kingside with attacking chances as a result. Hence, Black often resorts to the pawn break f7-f6, which sometimes forces White to abandon his vanguard and capture Black’s f-pawn.
70. Can I use a central pawn break to stop an attack on the wing?
A good recipe against an attack on the wing is a counter strike in the center, in order to deflect the attacking forces. In the Sicilian this happens very often, where we see Black pushing …d6-d5 or …e6-e5. In the Classical Caro-Kann, Black will mostly play …c6-c5 to open the center. Such central pawn thrusts can be done will the attack is in progress or in a prophylactic manner, to prevent it right from the start.
71. Is it possible to create a passed pawn, applying a pawn break?
With pawn-breaks we can sometimes remove blocking pawns and create dangerous passed pawns.
72. Can I play a pawn break as a sacrifice?
Many of the above methods can also be conducted in connection with a sacrifice. This deserves special mentioning, as sacrificing material is a huge barrier for many players. Try to get rid of extreme materialism and open your mind for other positional values besides material.
73. How can I prevent pawn breaks?
By now, the effectiveness of pawn breaks should have become obvious. There are different measures of prevention, which I will describe, taking the French Defense position as an example. Remember: White wants to play f4-f5.
a) blockade
You play …f7-f5.
b) pawn control
You play …g7-g6
c) creating tension
You play …f7-f6. Now, f4-f5 might be impossible, because of the pressure resting on the pawn e5.
d) using tactics
You play …Qb6. If White plays f4-f5, you answer …Nxe5 as the pawn d4 is pinned (given White’s king is on g1).
e) creating flexibility
Here, we need another position. Imagine White’s pawns being on g4 and h4 and Black’s pawns on g7, and h6. White would be threatening g4-g5, using the pawn h6 as a hook tom open files against Black’s king. Black can add flexibility to his position by playing…g7-g6. Now, if White plays g4-g5, Black will answer …h6-h5 and after h4-h5 instead, Black can react with g6-g5. In both cases, the position will remain closed.
74. How can I avoid pawn breaks?
Sometimes, pawn breaks are only possible because of your mistakes. If you play the move …h7-h6 (see last example), you create a hook, giving White the opportunity to open lines against your king by playing g4-g5. If you stay put instead, it will take White much more effort to conduct an attack, providing you with more time for counter measures.
