Page 13 - Learning Chess Workbook Step 5

The use of pawns

f
Pawns are important. They have a number of dif e rent f u nctions:

1.1.1.
.1.

Protecting the castled king. Defending pieces, by cover­ Controlling squares, and
ing them (Nf6, Nc3) and thereby restricting the mobi­
shielding them off (Bd6) . l i ty of enemy pieces.

In both diagrams the pawns
f o rm a f o rmation. We refer to
1.1.1. 1.1. 1.1. 1.1.1.
this f o rmation as the pawn
structure. I.
The pawn structure has not I. �
yet been fully determined. On I. � �
the left, only the pawns on e4
and e5 are fixed. �
On the right, the structure is � �
almost completely fixed.
l i'l i'l

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In those positions where
I pawns can capture each other
1.1.1. 1.1.1. there is tension. I.I. 1.1.1.
I. I On the left, the pawns on d4 I.
I. and e5 are attacking each 1.1.
� � other; hence, there is tension � �
� in the centre. At right, there is �
tension in the cluster of
� � � � � pawns on c4, d4, c5 and d5 . � � � � �
It is usually advantageous to
maintain the tension.

� Demolishing the structure of
your opponent can give you
the advantage.
1.1. .il.l. On the left, Black demolishes
I. I. the white structure with 1. ...
� � � I b4. This move leaves White
� � � with a weak doubled b-pawn.
On the other side White plays
l2J the strong 1. f5. On the right,
II 1. f6 demolishes the castled
king's protective pawn shield.