As we know from Philidor, the pawns are the soul of chess. The pawn structure determines the relative value of the pieces and, by and large, also determines the plans. A sub-aspect of outstanding importance are weak pawns, as several different concepts converge here. Weaknesses in the pawn structure reduce their mobility, cause weak squares (thus increasing the opponent’s piece activity) and offer the opponent concrete targets for attack. The latter not only increases the activity of the opponent’s pieces, but also reduces their own, as they are tied down to their defensive tasks. Weak pawns also have a direct or indirect effect on king safety. As a static weakness, weak pawns are also part of the tension between “static versus dynamic advantages”, which in many games strongly influences the strategic decisions of both players. The following concrete points will be discussed in the seminar:
- The isolated d-pawn – pros and cons
- Other forms of the isolani
- The quasi-isolani
- The double pawn
- The backward pawn
- The hanging pawns
- Fixed and quasi-fixed pawns
- Exposed pawns
- Multiple pawn weaknesses
- The hidden pawn weakness
- The sacrifice for structure