Backward pawn
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
8 | 8 | ||||||||
7 | 7 | ||||||||
6 | 6 | ||||||||
5 | 5 | ||||||||
4 | 4 | ||||||||
3 | 3 | ||||||||
2 | 2 | ||||||||
1 | 1 | ||||||||
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind all pawns of the same color on the adjacent files and cannot be safely advanced.[1] In the diagram, the black pawn on the c6-square is backward.
Disadvantages
Backward pawns are usually a positional disadvantage because they are unable to be defended by other pawns. Also, the opponent can place a piece, usually a knight, on the hole in front of the pawn without any risk of a pawn driving it away. The backward pawn also prevents its owner's rooks and queen on the same file from attacking the piece placed on the hole.
If the backward pawn is on a half-open file, the disadvantage is even greater, as the pawn can be attacked more easily by an opponent's rook or queen on the file. Pieces can become weak when they are devoted to protecting a backward pawn, since their obligation to defend the pawn keeps them from being deployed for other uses.
In practice
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
8 | 8 | ||||||||
7 | 7 | ||||||||
6 | 6 | ||||||||
5 | 5 | ||||||||
4 | 4 | ||||||||
3 | 3 | ||||||||
2 | 2 | ||||||||
1 | 1 | ||||||||
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
Modern opening theory features several openings in which one of the players deliberately incurs a backward pawn in exchange for some other advantage such as initiative or better development. An example is the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defence.
After the moves 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 (or 4...e5!? 5.Nb5 d6 – the Kalashnikov Variation) 5. Nc3 e5!? 6. Ndb5 d6 (see diagram), Black has a backward pawn on d6, but White now has to endure a displacement of his knights and an undermining of his center after 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6! 10. Nd5 (dodging the threatened pawn-fork of the knights) 10... f5! (or 10...Bg7 11.c3 [facilitating the knight on a3 to return to the center via Na3–c2–e3] 11...f5!) 11. c3 Bg7, and so on.
See also
- Connected pawns
- Doubled pawns
- Isolated pawn
- Pawn structure
References
- ^ Silman 1998, p. 236.
Bibliography
- Golombek, Harry (1977), Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess, Crown Publishing, ISBN 0-517-53146-1
- Silman, Jeremy (1998), The Complete Book of Chess Strategy, Los Angeles: Siles Press, ISBN 1-890085-01-4
- v
- t
- e
- Chess theory
- Chess titles
- Grandmaster
- Computer chess
- Correspondence chess
- FIDE
- Glossary
- Online chess
- Rating system
- world rankings
- norms
- Variants
- World records
- Chess set
- Chess pieces
- King
- Queen
- Rook
- Bishop
- Knight
- Pawn
- Fairy
- Chess clock
- Chess table
- Score sheets
- Blunder
- Chess notation
- algebraic
- descriptive
- PGN
- annotation symbols
- symbols in Unicode
- Fianchetto
- Gambit
- Key square
- King walk
- Open file
- Outpost
- Pawns
- Swindle
- Tempo
- Transposition
- Trap
- Artificial castling
- Battery
- Block
- Checkmate patterns
- Combination
- Decoy
- Deflection
- Desperado
- Discovered attack
- Double check
- Fork
- Interference
- Overloading
- Pawn storm
- Pin
- Sacrifice
- Skewer
- Undermining
- Windmill
- X-ray
- Zwischenzug
- Compensation
- Exchange
- the exchange
- Initiative
- Middlegame
- Pawn structure
- Piece values
- Prophylaxis
- School of chess
Flank opening | |
---|---|
King's Pawn Game | |
Queen's Pawn Game | |
Other |
- Bishop and knight checkmate
- King and pawn vs king
- Opposite-coloured bishops
- Pawnless endgame
- Queen and pawn vs queen
- Queen vs pawn
- Rook and bishop vs rook
- Rook and pawn vs rook
- Strategy
- fortress
- opposition
- Tarrasch rule
- triangulation
- Zugzwang
- Study
- Tablebase
- Two knights endgame
- Wrong bishop
- Wrong rook pawn
- List of strong chess tournaments
- Chess Olympiad
- World Chess Championship
- Other world championships
- Computer chess championships
- Caïssa
- Chess aesthetics
- Chess in the arts
- early literature
- film
- novels
- paintings
- poetry
- short stories
- Chess books
- opening books
- endgame literature
- Oxford Companion
- Chess libraries
- Chess newspaper columns
- Chess periodicals
- Arbiter
- Chess boxing
- Chess club
- Chess composer
- Chess engine
- AlphaZero
- Deep Blue
- Leela Chess Zero
- Stockfish
- Chess problem
- Chess prodigy
- Simultaneous exhibition
- Solving chess
- Chess portal
- Category