Club: Pawns

Pawn Movement  The can only move one space forward

 Except on the first turn when it can move 2 spaces forward. Pawns:  The Pawn attacks one The Knobs of the space diagonally.

September 21, 2015

En Passant Rule  If a pawn moves 2 spaces forward to the same rank as an enemy  If a Pawn reaches the opponent's back row (8th rank), pawn in an adjacent file, the the Pawn can become a , , , or enemy pawn may capture that . pawn on the next turn as if the  We almost always pick a Queen (queening) . pawn had only move 1 space.  That's why chess sets come with an extra Queen. If  An capture must be you queen more than once, it's common to use an made on the very next turn after upside-down rook as a Queen token. the pawn was moved.  So moving 2 spaces forward does not avoid capture.  It is rare to pick a non-queen piece ( underpromotion ).  Some players say "en passant" aloud when it is used, but it  We may promote Bishop or Rook to avoid a . is not required.  The Lasker Trap promotes to Knight.

Protected Pawn  A pawn is protected by another  An isolated pawn has no friendly pawns in adjacent pawn if it has a pawn diagonally files. behind it.  An isolated pawn cannot be  If an enemy captures a protected by other pawns and cannot move forward if protected pawn, the protector an enemy is directly in front. will capture the enemy.  Isolated pawns should be  Which pawns are protected by attacked. another pawn in this picture?  Where is the isolated pawn in this picture?

1 : Pawns

Passed Pawn Protected  A passed pawn is a pawn that  If your pawns work as a pair, has made it past the pawns in adjacent files. it is possible to get a protected passed pawn.  Enemy pawns cannot prevent a passed pawn from making it to promotion.  This helps ensure you will get a promotion.  If your opponent has a passed pawn, make it the focus of your attack.  Where is the protected passed pawn in this picture?  Where is the passed pawn in this picture?

Doubled Pawn United We Stand, Divided We Fall  After a pawn attacks, you may end up with two pawns in the same file.  The Pawn is the weakest piece on the chess board.  Pawns cannot move backwards.  Pawns in the same file are called  Pawns cannot attack a piece directly in front. .

 Doubled pawns are substantially  But Pawns are the most numerous piece on the board. weaker than pawns that are side-  So it helps to think of the Pawns as a team. by-side.

 Doubled pawns cannot protect each other and can  The configuration of Pawns on the board is called the progression. (sometimes called the pawn skeleton ).  Where are the doubled pawns in this picture?

Pawn Structure Pawn Structure  Discuss the pawn structures below (weak or strong).  Basic : Watch the Youtube video: "How to Understand Pawn Structure" A B C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_ZLnKU4f7g

 Advanced : classified the 16 major pawn structures. Wikepedia: "Pawn Structure" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn_structure

2 Chess Club: Pawns

Relative Value Activity: Pawn-Only Chess  We often judge the value of a piece relative to a fixed number of pawns.  Let's practice moving pawns as a team! e.g. 1 Rook is worth 5 Pawns  Of course it depends on position, but just in terms of movement strength the relative value of the pieces is  Find an opponent and set shown below. up the board with only pawns.

 The winner is the first person to get a pawn promoted.

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