Holes
IN a narrow sense, a hole is a square on the third rank, in front of a pawn on the second, no longer capable of being guarded by a pawn (because the adjacent pawns have advanced or disappeared). An example is Black's KN3 in No. 9. The endgame weakness of a hole may be that it is an avenue for penetration by the enemy king, e.g., White's KR3 in No. 62A. Now, when the pawns become depleted by exchange, holes arise necessarily. Also, it is virtually impossible to advance the pawn front without...
The Doubled Pawn
OF all theoretical pawn weaknesses, the doubled pawn is the most variable in actual value. In endplay, it is usually bad but sometimes neutral. In the midgame, it can likewise be bad or neutral but sometimes advantageous. A doubled pawn may be weak for any or all of three reasons a The pawn is in jeopardy, having to be guarded by pieces. b The doubling opens a hole through which the enemy king can penetrate. c The doubling cripples what would otherwise be a pawn majority capable of generating a...
I
Backward, but he also prepares an outpost station for his knight, and on arrival at Q6 the knight will shield the queen pawn from frontal attack. An added feature of many such positions is that Black is virtually compelled to post a minor piece on the square abandoned by the advancing pawn (N Q4), if only to avoid a cramp by its retreat elsewhere. Then the backward pawn is shielded from frontal attack so long as the outpost maintains its position. The Queen Pawn in the Sicilian Defense After...
Criteria of Pawn Moves
The move of a pawn differs in an important way from the move of a piece it is not retractable. Every pawn move makes a permanent change in the position. You should weigh every contemplated pawn move by these criteria safety of the pawns themselves from attack and capture. command of squares on which your opponent might otherwise post pieces advantageously. space created for the deployment of your pieces. mobility of your pawns to penetrate the opponent's territory and spearhead an attack. The...
Denker V Schwartz 1930
In No. 108, the preliminary maneuver is brief and simple. Mission accomplished. That the Black king is seriously compromised may be judged from the following circumstances a The hole at KB3 is an outpost station, due to White's king pawn. Its occupation by knight or pawn would be murderous, b White's queen bishop is available to exploit the holes. c White has four minor pieces and the queen readily available to assault the king-side. The king bishop serves where it stands, by threat of removing...
Itm miM
White wants to keep his pawn on Q4 to guard K5 and also to support an eventual P - QB5. But he is too ambitious he should have made a concession to safety by 10 P-Q5, N-K4 11 P - QN3. Thus Black forces either the isolation of the queen pawn or the premature advance P B5. If 13 RxP, then Q - Q4, winning the king knight pawn and so wrecking the king-side. Faced with B-Q6, White has to hurl himself on the sword after all. 15 R-R4 QxNP and Black wins When do pawns hang and when don't they This...
