Questions tagged [pawns]
Questions relating to pawns in chess
151
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(black) why the pawn H6 is not good move in this position?
(My turn[black])
I want to attack the g5 knight, so I up the pawn at H6, but the chess engine evaluate 3.4 to 1.3 my winning points. Instead engine recommended pawn D6, pawn D5, king H8 is better move....
6
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3
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g4 pawn push to remove bishop pin - why is it good sometimes? (specific example below)
In the following position, why is g4 so powerful (+4.1 according to stockfish), when g4 is normally considered a weakening move?
[Title "Why is g4 so powerful here?"]
[fen ""]
[...
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Can a pawn move 2 spaces if doing so would cause en passant mate?
You cannot place your King in check, the en passant could be refused and because you are not placing your King in check directly it seems you can move your pawn 2 spaces. However, just like castling, ...
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1
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When should white push d4-d5 in the Ruy Lopez?
I just played a very short game in the Ruy Lopez, where I played white and pushed d4-d5 early, and it felt like I just gave black's knight a headstart to maneuvre into a better position where I was ...
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What's the point of 4.a4 in this Czech Benoni?
In the following Benoni position (White to move):
rnbqkbnr/pp3ppp/3p4/2pPp3/8/2N5/PPP1PPPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq e6 0 4
The engine's (Lichess' Stockfish) first move, and also the one with best results (...
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0
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How to effectively use pawn structures in chess strategy? [closed]
Pawn structures play a crucial role in chess strategy, as they can influence the placement and mobility of the pieces. However, it can be difficult for chess players to understand how to effectively ...
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Why do I need to notate the file when capturing with a pawn?
As we all know, in algebraic notation, we usually suppress the notation for pawns. That is, unless they are capturing something. Then, for some reason, we must notate the file of that pawn. For all ...
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2
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When to weaken king's position to attack opponent's king with pawns?
I have seen few times, masters use their f,g,h pawn to attack opponent's king (even if the player castled kingside). Whenever I see a weak position of king, I suspect, king is "under attack" ...
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1
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234
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Confused about the central and side pawns - which are which?
We all know that the "center" comprises of the four squares that are in the very middle of the board - d4, d5, e4, e5.
Keeping this in mind, which are the central pawns, exactly, apart from ...
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As Black, how do you deal with the double pawns in the Ruy Lopez exchange variation?
How does Black deal with the double pawns c7 and c6 on the Ruy Lopez exchange variation? In other words, after:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. ...
6
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2
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255
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When to do minority attack and majority attack?
So I learnt about minority attack few months ago where you push pawns on minority side to create weaknesses on opponents pawn structure but recently I have also been seeing some masters casually ...
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1
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106
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When should white prefer a Maroczy structure vs. a Kings Indian structure?
In two games quite different games that I played recently, I was playing white and had a very nice centre, but according to the engine I misjudged pushing (or not pushing) my d-pawn both times.
From ...
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What is the highest possible number of pawn captures in a game?
What is the highest number of pawn captures possible in a game?
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Why is this rook move a mistake?
Recently I was playing a game on chess.com (300 rating) and after the game the engine showed that this move was a mistake, losing two points of material.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 a5 2. d4 h5 3. f3 f6 ...
3
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1
answer
261
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Where did this minority attack go wrong?
I have been playing the Caro-Kann recently and learnt that the exchange variation often involves a minority attack for black. I had never played a minority attack before, so I gave it a go. This was ...
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5
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Are pawns pieces? [duplicate]
I thought I heard somewhere that pawns are not pieces but just called pawns. Then, I heard from some other places that they are. I think they are but what is the exact definition of a pawn?
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On average, how many pawns are there at the start of the endgame?
Question: On average, how many pawns are there at the start of the endgame?
To answer:
You can choose your definition of the endgame as long as you can show a credible reference that supports your ...
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13
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2
answers
2k
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What is the the idea behind this popular double pawn sacrifice line In the Evans Gambit?
I am learning a bit of Evans Gambit theory lately, and when exploring a Master level games database, I have found this surprising
line.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. ...
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How many unoriginal pawn moves can be made in a single game?
Consider an "unoriginal pawn move" to be a pawn move whose notation matches a move already played in the game. For instance, after 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.e5, there is one unoriginal pawn move, ...
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Why are side pawns better than center pawns in this position?
So center pawns are usually regarded as more powerful than side pawns, which is why I have a question about this position.
After 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c5 the engine and theory recommend playing 3. e3 to ...
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How many times can the same pawn move be made in a game?
How many times in a game can "the same pawn move" be made? By "the same pawn move", I mean, a move made by a pawn that would be notated the same way.
For instance, after 1.e4 e5 2....
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What do the c5 and e5 breaks do in the Caro-Kann / Scandi pawn structures?
Here's what I understand about the point of c5 in the French / Advance Caro-Kann pawn structures: if White takes you are very happy, because his e-pawn becomes weak and you get to develop your bishop ...
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1k
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How to quickly calculate two pawns facing two pawns
A situation that often seems to confuse me is when I push a pawn alongside two pawns that are head-to-head and my opponent pushes the opposing pawn, such as when Black plays c5 to my c4.
rnbqkbnr/...
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8
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Would there be more decisive games if we began to see stalemates as checkmates? And hence more "interesting" chess? [closed]
I think it is up for debate as to whether a stalemate should be a win or a draw. I agree stalemates make beginner chess more interesting but we rarely see games at international level end in stalemate....
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169
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When should you trade off a piece that's defended by two pawns?
In some openings, i.e. the Stonewall Attack / Maroczy Bind, the opponent gets an iron grip over a particular square (e5 / d5) by controlling it with two pawns, and they can stick a knight there. ...
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0
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66
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Is there a rarely known rule about Pawns eating indirectly? [duplicate]
The game analysis tool of chess.com tells me I should have done a move which looks impossible to me.
Obviously my move, e1, was very stupid. But what the game tells me seems impossible. Is it a bug? ...
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How can pawns win a whole game without any strong pieces?
How can a pawn or two or three win a entire chess game on it's own?
I am playing as white pawns on the chessboard against my opponent. I tried moving to the end of the other and trading it for a ...
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What is the name of this unconventional opening?
You start by moving the knight's pawn on either side to b3 or g3. Then you do the same on the other side. Ideally, you fianchetto the bishops into both triangle pawn formations.
[FEN ""]
1....
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Can the pawn take the rook in this position?
I have a question regarding the way that pawns are allowed to attack. Sorry I’m a beginner, but me and my friend are playing and I don’t want to make this move if I’m not allowed to. I have a picture ...
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132
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Increase in pawn value towards endgames
I’m writing my own chess engine where I’ll be implementing something called a tapered eval which is one that evaluates the position with an endgame specific evaluation function and a middle game ...
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1
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How did a pawn appear out of thin air in “P @ e2” after queen capture?
I was playing chess against the computer and captured black’s queen. All of a sudden, a black pawn appears out of thin air, one space behind the captured queen for a total of nine pawns, and moves ...
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3
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627
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Pawn gambits "For The Win"
Possibly confirmation bias, but I often find a game I've won involved the loss (intentional or otherwise) of a pawn, which has opened up a file for rook attack, particularly on b/g files. Is there ...
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2
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168
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What are the benefits of having a space advantage in a closed position?
I notice that in my closed games when I find myself with an advantage in space, I have more mobility for my pieces and thats all good but once I reach this position I'm never really able to find a ...
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3
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When and where is it a good idea to make a pawn break in a closed centre position?
I've read that you want to make pawn breaks by advancing your pawn on the file next to your most advanced pawn in these closed centre positions. What exactly is the reason behind this. Is it just to ...
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1
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213
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What is the shortest possible legal game where there are 6 pawns on the a-file or h-file?
I was recently reading a post on this forum which said that there must be 15 captured pieces in order for there to be 6 pawns on the a-file or h-file.
That got me thinking how complicated that would ...
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What should be the value change if pawns are doubled?
I am creating a chess engine and I am creating a heuristic to change the board evaluation if there are doubled pawns. Now, I have no experience in creating engines, so I figured I would ask this site ...
- 605
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2
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151
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Endgame theory question
Let us look at an endgame where White has 8 pawns, and Black has the e/d-pawn missing. How can White win this endgame if both sides play perfectly? I am having a little trouble.
user24344
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Benoni e4-e5 push
In the Benoni, a common move in the position is e4-e5 and then Ng1-f3. Afterwards, I have worries about my opponent playing e4-e5 and creating a passed pawn, but up to now, I haven't met with this ...
user24344
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Why is e5 the strongest move here for white?
[FEN "rnb1kb1r/pp1pp2p/2p2ppn/q7/2BPP3/5N1P/PPPN1PP1/R1BQ1RK1 w kq - 3 8"]
I'm a noob at chess, as I just started playing a week back. I played
as White here, and Stockfish recommended e5 ...
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493
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How many unique pawn structures are possible?
In an effort to classify chess games, I thought it would be useful to identify a set of positions by their unique pawn structure that would form a family of positions. There are indeed many positions ...
27
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10
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6k
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Why struggle for a single pawn?
I've seen many chess games, where after a certain point, one side maneuvers their pieces (like doubling the rooks) to target a single point. Most of the time it's a pawn on the wing and the other side ...
- 2,525
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2
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1k
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How to win a rook endgame with two extra pawns-4 vs 2 general plan
In this diagram it's White to move. Black should be winning in this endgame. I want a simple plan on how to move the Black pawns in a way that I will avoid the horizontal and vertical checks from the ...
- 1,200
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3
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3k
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When should I play f3/f6?
For context, I've been playing chess for around two years now, and my rating on Lichess is ~1850.
When I first started playing, I learned a lot of heuristics for playing well, e.g. rooks are better ...
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1
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422
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How to proceed with the book "Pawn Structure Chess" by Andrew Soltis?
Should I memorize everything in the book, or use it in some other way?
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2
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4k
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Games where a pawn checkmates the king
Could you please refer some examples of game where, on the last move, a pawn checkmates the king (preferably from grandmaster's games)?
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Is the "Pawn Box" possible in standard chess?
Is it possible to create a "pawn box" as shown below (using legal moves and the help of black) in standard chess?
The positions don't need to be exactly as shown, and there can be more pieces on the ...
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4
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4k
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What is it called when opposite colored pawns up against each other?
When a white pawn and a black pawn are touching on a file, what is it called?
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1
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303
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What are good resources to use to learn how to best use pawns and pawn structures?
Pawn structure seems to be one of the key areas that a player needs to know well to be able to have a high rating.
What are the best ways to learn how to best use pawns and pawn structure?
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How do I decide what color squares to place my pawns on?
I often hear people say "I have my pawns on the dark/light squares like I'm supposed to" or something similar. I have no idea what actually dictates which squares to try to place your pawns though. ...
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3
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889
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About how to win a pawn by applying pressure-Looking for examples
Is there any easy way to know you can win a pawn just by applying pressure on the opening? So, if you guys can help me with examples of winning pawns just by applying pressure on each phase, opening, ...
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