Patterns--The Key To Winning Chess

Dynamic Pawns

During the opening moves, in addition to bringing out the pieces, we develop the Pawn Structure. beginners tend to think of Pawns as being unimportant and concentrate their play on the pieces, even leaving their Pawns lying around open to capture by the enemy. Actually the way we play our Pawns is crucial to the game. So much so in fact that an alternative to memorizing opening variations is simply to learn the Pawn structures associated with the position that we would like to achieve in the opening. A general guide to this idea can be found here. As we progress in the game past the opening it would be worth your while to assess your opponent's pawn structure. A quick way to remember the things we are looking for is to imagine yourself in an auction to buy a snake of the word BID ASP. B is for Backward pawn, I is for Isolated pawns, D is for doubled pawns, A is for Advanced pawn, S is for Structure, and P is for Passed pawns. These are the factors that are most important in assessing opponents positions. Another important point to keep in mind is that the closest to the enemy King a Pawn is the more valuable it becomes and a Pawn on the 7th rank becomes a monster. Pawns are the soldier ants of chess, like ants they seem to be insignificant and individually they are weak defenseless but when they work with other Pawns and with pieces as well they become very powerful and dynamic. A simple push can fork enemy pieces, remove an important guard, even checkmate a King. We are listing here the themes associated with Pawns.

1. Pawn Advancement--Opening Development

2. Pawn Exchange--Centralize Pawns

3. Pawn Advancement--Space Gain

4. Pawn Advancement--Defense

5. Pawn Wing Attacks--Stabilize Center First

6. Pawn Structure--Fundamentals

7. Pawn Weakness Attack On

8. Pawn Weakness--Doubled Pawns

9. Pawn Weakness--Isolated Pawns

10. Pawn Weakness--Backward Pawns

11. Pawn Weakness--Weak Square Creation

12. Pawn Structure--Pawn Islands

13. Pawn Advancement--Hanging Pawns

14. Rolling Pawns

15. Blockade

16. Pawn Advantage--Away

17. Minority Attack

18. Pawn Chain Attack

19. Provoking a Weakness

20. Pawn Flank Attack

21. Pawn Formation: "The Feather"

22. Pawn Formation: "The Knot"

Pawn Destruction

Click here or full example games of some of the principles explained above

Thoughts Have Wings!

This is an interactive website and a work in progress. We are seeking your ideas, comments, brickbats and bouquets. If you have a new idea, diagram, technique or anything at all that you think would be of interest to me just click the above dove of love to send an email. Also if you would like to make a cash contribution let me know. I, personally am spending my own time and money to make this site possible and if you would like to share with me in any way, money or ideas please do not hesitate to do so. If you are the prime source of a chess related product and would be interested in allowing me to sell this item for you from banners on this site please do contact me. Also if you would like to improve your own chess game while helping others you can become a volunteer analyst. Just send your name, elo and email address and I will make a little list and put you on it. I promise not to let the Lord High Executioner see it. If you have a chess related website let's exchange links.

Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source

Win At Chess Site Ring
Ring Owner: frank frank Site: Patterns--The Key To Winning Chess

Get Your Free Web Ring
by Bravenet.com

Great Chess Links: These are the chess sites that Webmaster Frank recommends you visit for further information.

courtesy of Chess-Videos.com

Unsolicited Comments

This is the best web site I have found on chess!!!!!!! I will be definately be telling everyone about this site!!!! Thank you Frank--CW
I enjoy it every time I visit this site...there is always something of interest, something more I can learn--Liz
I won a tournament using the ebooks found on this website--KY
Great site! And I am definately sending you a donation via Pay Pal to help support your efforts!--RF

Your help is needed. Please make a donation so that this website can continue.

Looking for something? Want to find information about a specific piece, stratagem, tactic or whatever? Use this search engine. It will search this website for the information you seek. It can also search the internet if you want it to. My spies tell me you haven't been using this search engine enough. If you don't use this search engine more often I will personally come to your house and force you to memorize the entire book on the French Defense.

Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind

Site search Web search

Search for software:

Powered by RegNow

Looking for great chess software? Just type "chess" in the above search box! I, personally, have found great software using this search box!

Afraid of being laughed at when you sit down to play chess? This website will help you to overcome your fears!

This website is dedicated to Bobby Fischer, the greatest chessplayer of all time.

New York

Back To Main Menu

Win At Chess Site Ring Ring Owner: frank frank Site: Patterns--The Key To Winning Chess

Get Your Free Web Ring by Bravenet.com