The Pawn

The Pawn: PA

“If you know them, they'll help you win lots of games”

The two letters used to indicate the PA - personal assistant. All PAs are of equal value but some PAs are more equal than others. In Chesmayne each Pawn is given a name. Jacopo da Cessole (14th century) was the first to give the mps a name. The monogram ‘PA’. PA5 (mp5) is known as ‘the eye of the army’. A Pawn is not able to reverse its move. The letter ‘P’ is sometimes also used. Shakespeare (King Lear): “As flies to wanton boys, are we to the Gods; they kill us for their sport” (it is considered good to kill a mp from time to time, to encourage the others)! The FMO (First Move Option) of this minor piece was introduced in Spain in 1280. Up to the 16th century a game could be started by making two minor piece moves before your opponent moved. This was the norm in Holland and Germany until the late 19th century.

In Asia mps started on the 3rd rank instead of the 2nd. Until 1903 a PA reaching rank-8 could remain a PA! And promotion could only be to a MP already captured. If no MP had been captured the mp remained a PA until a capture occurred. Steinitz was a leading proponent of the dummy PA law.

Monogram:	Pawn (PA) PA1, PA2, PA3 etc.
First Move Option (FMO):	1 or 2 cells vertically forward.
All Other Moves (AOM):	1 cell vertically forward.
*Capture ():**	1 cell diagonally forward.
Promotable (#):	Yes.
Special Move (ep):	En Passant.

(The above diagram was produced using the ‘Zillions’ program. The Zillions Index)

The PAs get their name from an old French word meaning ‘foot-soldier’ and like the infantry they must advance against the foe. The monogram ‘PA’ is used to identify these mps.

On an 8 x 8 board the PAs are numbered PA1 to PA8.
On a 10 x 10 board the PAs are numbered PA1 to PA10.
On a 12 x 12 board the PAs would be numbered PA1 to PA12.

The PAs have special rules for their capturing manoeuvre. The PA is, in fact exceptional
in many ways, which I will now explain. The normal move of the PA is simple - they plod just one cell forward at a time. They may never move backwards. On their first move, however, a PA may, if desired, be moved two cells forward instead of just one. This privilege is accorded to each of the eight PAs on either side (Level-1, 8 x 8 board), but a PA may only advance two cells if both cells are unoccupied and the PA has not previously been moved.

As distinct from their forward mode of travel, the PA captures diagonally, but again only one cell. A PA must move in the file in which it placed (ISP), until it captures another MP/mp diagonally. On Level-1 it is the only MP/mp that captures in a different manner to the normal mode of movement. On reaching rank-8 (Level-1) a PA is invested with the title and assumes the power of any of the MPs to which the PA is promoted/enrobed (which a player chooses at his/her discretion). A PA is not permitted to capture any MP/mp which impedes its path i.e., 01A PA4 D02/D04 - 01B PA5-D07/D05 ….(neither PA can do more than remain an obstruction to the forward march of the other). Upon capturing a diagonally placed MP/mp, a PA changes file i.e., PA5-E04*D05 - PA5 moves from file-E to file-D.

The movements of these homely mps are amongst the most refined and arduous elements of the game. When placed in B$A they prevent the advance of your opponent's PAs. However, you should not place two PAs abreast in Block-A until you are able to support them from behind. If you have two PAs placed abreast in Block-A and one of them is attacked by an opposing PA, you will find it better to advance the PA that is attacked, rather than resort to capture. After %K it is better not to advance PA7 until obliged to do so. It is better to protect a PA with a PA than with a MP. Do not advance PAs on either wing until you see on what side of the board your opponent castles. In the endgame two PAs can protect themselves against the enemy KI.

The Arabs called them Baidaq (BQ), ‘foot soldiers’, which was translated into the Anglo-French word p’oun. In the old game (Shatranj), a BQ could not be promoted to QU2, but to a Minister (MR) only. The game-tree (:gt) of Chess was, therefore, different from today, for there was little point in promotion. A PA can move forward only. A PA cannot jump. A PA is promoted on reaching the last rank as part of the same move. The cell on which a PA is promoted is normally called the Queering cell, even if the PA is exchanged for a MP which is not a QU2.

Promotion is also called ‘enrobing’ in Chesmayne. Theoretically it is possible to have nine QUs (Level-1, QU1, QU2, QU3, QU4 etc). The PA is nearly always promoted to QU2, but underpromotion is possible. If a PA reaches the top-rank of the board and is promoted to a QU, then this QU is referred to as QU2 to distinguish her from QU1. Sometimes it is best to underpromote to a KT, KM, BS, RO etc.

The en passant (:ep) capture can only be made by a PA on rank-5 (for :A). The en passant move is optional, not obligatory. Beginners often find this difficult, so practice on rank-5 (for :A) and on the rank-4 for :B. The PA can only capture one diagonal cell forward to their right or left. Monogram: PA1, PA2, PA3 etc. The PA is known by different names in differing countries:

#	Language	Piece	Game Name
01	English	Pawn	Chess
02	French	Pion	Les echecs
03	German	Bauer	Schachspiel
04	Italian	Perdone	Gli scacchi
05	Spanish	Peón	Ajedrez
06	Portuguese	Peão	Xadrez
07	Russian	Peshka	Shahmati
08	Arabic	Baidaq	Ash-shatranj
09	Latin	Pedes	Scaci

:L01 Note: The (quickest) number of moves of a PA from the ISP to the promoting cell is five moves i.e.:

1st move PA4-D02/D04 (PA4 moves two cells forward, FMO).

2nd move PA4-DO4/D05

3rd move PA4-D05/D06

4th move PA4-D06/D07

5th move PA4-DO7/D08-#QU2 (PA4 is promoted to QU2).

A PA has a maximum of six moves on Level-1 (from the ISP to the promoting cell)

Level-01. PAs in the opening and middle game. In an open game or position, the PAs are fluid, are able to advance, and many may have already been exchanged or disposed. Both :A and :B are ready to castle (%K, %Q) and there will be open lines for RO1, RO2, BS1 and BS2.

Level-01. PAs in a closed game. In a closed position the central PAs (PA4 and PA5) are interlocked in such a way that they cannot be exchanged. There are no open files for RO1, RO2, BS1 and BS2. In such positions KT1 and KT2 can become more important because of their ability to manoeuvre.

Level-01. During the opening, development may be slowed down by making too many mp moves or moving a mp to a wrong cell.

Level-01. Mp formation. Most openings and defences try to keep the PAs united, so that they protect one another. This is important for the middle game and even more important in the endgame.

Level-01. Typical mp structures: doubled PAs (:do-PAs). Doubled mps usually imply that open files are available and in such cases you may be able to gain useful play on such a file with RO1 or RO2. A doubled PA (:do-PA) is not necessarily a disadvantage, particularly if it is united with another PA. A :do-PA on file-E is the best because it strengthens the middle PAs and makes available a file for RO2. A :do-PA on file-A or file-H is the least valuable.

Level-01. Isolated PAs (:is-PA). A PA is considered isolated because there are no mps of the same colour on adjoining files. If the mp is attacked the mp may have to be defended by MPs which are then left out of action on other areas of the board.

Level-01. Backward PA (:ba-PA). Place A-PA8 on H04 and A-PA7 on G03. Now place B-PA1 on H05. The :A mp on G03 is backward as A-PA7 is unable to advance without being captured by B-PA1 on H05. This means that, in certain circumstances, a single :B mp can almost be as valuable as two :A mps.

Level-01. Passed PA (:pa-PA). Place A-PA8 on H04 and a-PA7 on G05. Now place B-PA1 on H05. A-PA7 on G05 is passed (:pa-PA7), as there are no opposing mps, either on the same file or adjacent files, between PA7s current position and the enrobing cell (on G08). :pa-PAs can become especially strong in the endgame.

Level-01. A-PA6 can be the source of major problems. At the start of Level-1, PA6 is positioned on the very weak F02 for :A and PA3 on F07 for :B, where they are only defended by their respective KIs. Because of the way they move, neither BS2 nor KT2 can protect A-PA6. Advancing A-PA6 too soon can create a permanent and crippling weakness in the cells near the A-KI.

When a mp has no enemy PA that could hinder promotion - that is, no enemy PA in front or, on the same file or, either of the next-door files - then the mp is called a passed-pawn (:pa-PA). A :pa-PA in the endgame can be a great asset, particularly if well advanced, as the enemy has to use MPs to stop the PA becoming QU2, thus reducing your adversaries MPs efficiency.

In the early stages of the game, the mps have various functions. Those in the center (PA4 and PA5), are the most valuable mps and are used for protecting central cells. PAs in front of a castled KI are used as a shelter. To wreck this center, the enemy often advances PAs upon yours, to force them to advance or exchange. This operation is called a ‘PA-storm’. Here the mps play the part of tanks rather than infantry. Mps sometimes resemble neither tanks nor infantry. Their lack of mobility makes them more like natural obstructions i.e., rivers, hills or marshes, that interfere with mobile warfare.

When one of your own PAs becomes an obstruction to your attack, it often pays to sacrifice the mp. A PAs value increases as MPs/mps are exchanged off, for when both armies are so reduced that Checkmate becomes next to impossible, the major objective becomes the promotion of a mp. To be a PA ahead with otherwise as good a position as your opponent’s, is usually a winning advantage - theoretically!

The Chesmayne Chess MPs/mps are triangular shaped. Large triangles are used for the MPs and small triangles are used for the mps. Each triangle has the monogram of the MP/mp printed on it i.e., PA1, PA2, PA3, PA4, PA5, PA6, PA7 and PA8 for the mps.

The monograms RO1, RO2, BS1, BS2, KT1, KT2, QU1 and KI
for the MPs on Level-1 (traditional Chess).

Although PAs are usually promoted into a QU2 on reaching rank-8, they can be also promoted to any other MP you choose. In the opening phase the PAs defend the center of the board and play a static role. In the endgame phase, when there are few MPs/mps on the board, PAs help the KI to capture MPs/mps or to checkmate your opponent. In the middle game PAs become very active. Their function is to drive away attacks from enemy MPs/mps and move forwards or sacrifice themselves to open attack lines for QU1, RO1, RO2, BS1 and BS2.

PAs that are in a group can support one another (PA islands). PAs connected in a chain are quite strong. To attack this chain your opponent would need to attack the ‘base PA’. Passed PAs (:pa-PAs) are very strong as they can reach rank-8 without coming into contact with enemy PAs on their own or adjacent ranks. PAs in enemy territory should ideally be supported by MPs. Two PAs placed on the same rank control more cells in front but will need to be supported from behind. A PA on rank-7 can even deliver checkmate.

A trailing PA should not be left unsupported (backward PA - :ba-PA) and if advanced is usually captured quite easily. PAs are ‘fixed’ if they are blocked from moving forward. Isolated PAs (:is-PA) cannot be defended by neighborly PAs and are easily captured by your opponent. Doubled PAs (:do-PA) are weak as the back PA cannot advance until the front PA moves forward. Tripled PAs are even weaker (:tr-PAs) and the back PA has to wait for the front two PAs to advance before it can do so. Hanging PAs (:ha-PA) must rely on MPs for protection and without support are easily eliminated / erased.

On it's first move, a Pawn may move either ONE SQUARE FORWARDS or TWO SQUARES FORWARDS. After its first move it can only move forwards ONE SQUARE AT A TIME. Unlike other pieces, Pawns DO NOT CAPTURE IN THE SAME WAY THAT THEY MOVE. They capture ONE SQUARE DIAGONALLY FORWARDS.

You might think a Pawn's not much use but there is one REALLY SPECIAL thing it can do. If you get a Pawn to the far side of the board you must exchange it for another piece: a QUEEN, a ROOK, a BISHOP or a KNIGHT.

EN PASSANT

There's another special rule to do with Pawns which you'll probably find hard to understand. It's called the EN PASSANT rule. If you have a Pawn on YOUR FIFTH RANK, as White does in fig. 1, and your opponent moves a Pawn on the next FILE TWO SQUARES, you can, on your next move, CAPTURE IT AS IF IT HAD MOVED ONE SQUARE ONLY as shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

CAUGHT IN THE SNARE

Suppose you THREATEN a piece, say a Knight or a Bishop. What happens? Your opponent will do something about it. He'll move it, defend it or block the attack. But sometimes he can't get out of it. And that's what we're looking at in this lesson. Pawns are often good at hunting down mps - Bishops and Knights - in the opening.

Look at this:

1. e2-e4     c7-c5 (The Sicilian Defence)
2. Ng1-f3    Nb8-c6
3. Bf1-b5    a7-a6
4. Bb5-a4? b7-b5

It's not the same as the Ruy Lopez, where Black has a Pawn on e5, not c5. He should take the Knight here.

5. Ba4-b3 (see diagram)

Can you find a good move for Black here? Yes, Black can trap the Bishop by playing c5-c4. Look for yourself: it has nowhere to go.

Let's start again:

1. e2-e4     e7-e5
2. d2-d4     Nb8-c6
3. d4-d5     Nc6-d4? (see diagram)

This time White gets the chance to win a piece. How can he do it? Remember that to THREATEN a defended piece you have to ATTACK it with something weaker. The answer is c2-c3, and, surprisingly, the Black Knight is lost. He has eight squares to go to, but whichever one he tries he gets taken.

Rooks are usually fairly safe in the corner at the start of the game, but if you move Bertie or Gerry out your Rook might fall victim to an attack along the diagonal.

1. d2-d4    d7-d5
2. c2-c4

Moving the d-pawn is just as good as moving the e-Pawn, but usually leads to more closed positions where play develops more slowly. This move is the QUEEN'S GAMBIT.

2. ........   d5xc4
3. e2-e3    b7-b5?

It's much better to play Ng8-f6 and let White have his Pawn back.

4. a2-a4     c7-c6?

Trying to keep his extra Pawn. If 4... a7-a6, 5. a4xb5 and Black finds that Alfie is PINNED against the Rook.

5. a4xb5    c6xb5 (see diagram)

And what does White do next?
You've had a clue so you should find the right answer: Qd1-f3, trapping the Rook in the corner. If Black prefers he can lose a Knight (by playing Nb8-c6) or a Bishop (by playing Bc8-b7), but whatever he does he's going to lose one of his big guys. In that position it was a good idea to bring the Queen out early because it won something, but usually it isn't. If you're not careful it's likely to get trapped.

Like this:

1. e2-e3

"If I move my e-Pawn two squares my opponent might get Scholar's Mate so I'll move it one square instead."

1. ........     e7-e5
2. Qd1-f3?

"Now I'll try for Scholar's Mate myself. Perhaps he won't notice."

2. ........     d7-d5
3. Nb1-c3

"Now the Bishop goes to c4 - curses! If I go there he'll take it. Better bring out a Knight instead."

3. ........     e5-e4 (SPACE INVADERS!)

"He's attacking my Queen. Better keep it attacking f7."

4. Qf3-f4? (see diagram)

White has broken several rules of good opening play. How does he pay the penalty? Black plays Bf8-d6, attacking the Queen. Where can she go? There are twelve possible squares (count them) but whichever one she chooses she'll be taken.

Do you know anyone who thinks and plays Chess like White did in that game? Perhaps it's you!

I repeat:

Start by moving your e-Pawn TWO SQUARES.
Make sure you keep a Pawn in the CENTRE.
DON'T go for SCHOLAR'S MATE.
DON'T bring your Queen out too soon.
Use your CENTRE PAWNS to drive the enemy pieces to unfavourable squares.

Here's another guy who ran into trouble by bringing his Queen out too soon:

1. e2-e4    d7-d5

The CENTRE COUNTER or SCANDINAVIAN DEFENCE. I don't recommend you to play it at the moment. Your Queen is too likely to run into trouble.

2. e4xd5    Qd8xd5
3. Nb1-c3

In this opening White gains time by attacking the Black Queen. Beginners are often tempted by a check on the e-file, but it's not a good idea. White will block the check and later gain more time by attacking the Queen again. Black's best move is Qd8-a5. What he mustn't do is play...

3. ........     Qd5-c6 (see diagram)

Can you see why?
White plays Bc1-b5. What's happening? "My Queen's got plenty of squares to go to", says Black, "h6, g6, f6..." "No you don't", says White. "You Queen's PINNED. If you go over there it leaves you in CHECK. The only squares you can go to are d7, where I'll take you, and b5, taking my Bishop, when my Knight will take you."

You'll meet a lot of PINS in the course of these lessons. If, as here, you PIN a stronger piece you WIN it. If you PIN a weaker piece, or a piece of equal value, you MIGHT be able to win it by attacking it again. Remember, if you've PINNED a piece what do you do? ATTACK IT AGAIN WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT. (Usually starting with your weakest piece.)

Some PINS are pretty scary - you need to get out of them as soon as you can: either by moving the piece at the back of the line, by putting something else in the way, or by driving off the pinning piece. Other PINS are just slightly annoying, while others are completely harmless. There are even PINS which can backfire, as you'll see when you learn about LEGALL'S MATE.

The next Opening shows you a situation that happens all the time. Most players don't manage to find the way out:

1. e2-e4    e7-e5
2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6
3. Bf1-b5

The RUY LOPEZ, the world's strongest opening.

3. ........    d7-d6
4. d2-d4   Ng8-f6

This is a mistake, but not for the reason you might think. White should probably play d4xe5, which eventually wins a Pawn, rather than...

5. d4-d5 (see diagram)

White attacks the PINNED Knight. It looks like he's winning a piece but Black's got a way out. Can you help him find it? Black can save his Knight by playing a7-a6. Now if White takes the Knight, Black takes the Bishop. And if White plays Bb5-a4, Black drives off the PINNING piece by playing b7-b5.

HELPFUL HINTS

1. Look out for chances to trap enemy Knights and Bishops using your Pawns.

2. Look out for chances to trap the enemy Queen using your Pawns and Minor Pieces (Knights and Bishops).

3. Look out for diagonal attacks on unmoved Rooks.

4. Don't bring your Queen out too soon without a very good reason: it might get trapped or PINNED.

5. Look out for chances to PIN your opponent's pieces. If you've PINNED a piece, ATTACK the PINNED piece with everything you've got.

6. Learn to tell the difference between different types of PIN. They're not always so scary so don't panic if you find one of your pieces is PINNED.

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Black to move	White to move	White to move

XABCDEFGH Y 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzp-+pzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+p+-+-% 4-+-+pwQ-+$ 3+-sN-zP-+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tR-vL-mKLsNR! xabcdefghy	XABCDEFGH Y 8rsnl+kvlntr( 7zppzp-zppzpp' 6-+q+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-sN-+-+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tR-vLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy	XABCDEFGH Y 8r+lwqkvl-tr( 7zppzp-+pzpp' 6-+nzp-sn-+& 5+L+Pzp-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+N+-# 2PzPP+-zPPzP" 1tRNvLQmK-+R! xabcdefghy
Black to move	White to move	Black to move

THE DOUBLE FREDDIE

Do you know Freddie, Gerry and Harry? If you know them, and know how to make the most of them, they'll help you win lots of games. But you'll only know who they are if you've got the board the right way round. So first of all check that you've set up the White pieces on the RANKS numbered 1 and 2 on your board, and the Black pieces on the RANKS numbered 7 and 8 on your board.

In most of your games it will be best for you to CASTLE on the KING-SIDE, moving your King to the g-FILE (g1 or g8) and your Rook to the f-file (f1 or f8). You'll remember that we call the Pawns after their files: a-Pawns, b-Pawns and so on.

Freddie, Gerry and Harry are your f-Pawn, your g-Pawn and your h-Pawn. Imagine that you're playing football. The King is the goal. If you're White and you've castled King-side your defenders are your Rook on f1, your Knight on f3 and ...Freddie, Gerry and Harry.

Try, if at all possible, not to move Freddie, Gerry and Harry early on in the game. Every time one of them moves up the board it weakens squares and opens lines for the enemy strikers to attack and put the ball in the net.

In this lesson we look at an attacking plan designed to force your opponent's Gerry to change his name to Freddie. When this happens your Queen comes in, and, with the help of a Bishop or a Knight, scores the winning goal.

Here's an example.

1. e2-e4    e7-e5

Both players move the Pawn in front of their King two squares.

2. Ng1-f3   Nb8-c6

White's Knight THREATENS the Black e-Pawn and the Black Knight DEFENDS.

3. Bf1-c4   Bf8-c5

Both players move their Bishops onto strong diagonals, attacking the weak f-Pawns.

4. d2-d3     Ng8-f6

White prepares to develop his other Bishop, while Black develops a Knight.

5. Nb1-c3    d7-d6 (see diagram)

White develops a Knight while Black prepares to develop his other Bishop. You'll see that we have a SYMMETRICAL position. Both sides have developed their pieces in the same way. This makes the Opening easier to learn because the plans for both players are the same. Stop here and decide what move you'd play next for White.

I wonder how many of you played Nf3-g5 here? It's very tempting, isn't it, to THREATEN a lovely KNIGHT FORK on f7? But the move isn't very good, as you'll find out later in the course. Black can DEFEND simply by CASTLING and later gain time by driving the Knight back. Reasonable moves for White include 0-0 (although, as you'll see, White will have to be careful after this move), Bc1-e3 and Nc3-d5, but the move we recommend you play here is...

6. Bc1-g5

What's the big idea of this move? White develops his Bishop on the same diagonal as the Black Queen. If the Knight on f6 moves at any time, for instance to g4, what will White do? Of course, he'll zap the Queen on d8! We say that the Bishop on g5 PINS the Knight on f6. Good moves for Black here are Nc6-a5, h7-h6 and Bc8-e6. Bc8-g4, continuing to copy White, is also possible. But let's see what happens if Black castles here.

6. ........ 0-0 (see diagram)

What should White play in this position? Don't forget the Black Knight is PINNED. Imagine you're wrestling someone and you've got them PINNED to the ground so that they can't move. You can then hit them with everything you've got and eventually they'll have to give up. How can you ATTACK the PINNED Knight here? There's only one way to do it...

7. Nc3-d5

Now it's very easy for Black to make a mistake. If he takes your Knight on d5 with his Knight what will you do? Will you recapture the Knight? Of course not: you'll take the Queen instead. Sometimes Black sees this and decides to move his Queen to get out of the PIN! What would you do if Black played his Queen to e8 here? The answer is you'd play Bg5xf6, and if g7xf6 in reply, what then? You'd play Nd5xf6+, CHECKING and THREATENING the Queen on e8: a FORK! Instead of these moves we'll give Black a fairly useless move on the other side of the board.

7. ....... a7-a6

In this sort of position White has two plans: take on f6 with the Knight and mate on g7 with Bishop and Queen or take on f6 with the Bishop and mate on h7 with Knight and Queen. We'll start with Plan A:

8. Nd5xf6+ g7xf6

Black's best defender, the Knight on f6, has been shown the red card. Gerry, the centre back, has changed his name to Freddie and moved over to the wing. There's an open goal just waiting for White.

9. Bg5-h6 Rf8-e8 (see diagram)

If you could put your Queen anywhere on the board, where would it be? That's right: g7 which is CHECKMATE - THE KISS OF DEATH, with the Bishop on h6 holding the Queen's hand. So how can we get her there?

10. Nf3-h4

The Knight moves out of the way to let the Queen come out. At the moment the Black Bishop controls g4 so the Knight heads for f5 to cut the Bishop off.

10. ...... b7-b5?
11. Nh4-f5!

Don't get too excited and play Qd1-g4+ too soon!

11. ...... Bc8xf

12. e4xf5 b5xc4 (see diagram)

And you know what happens next. White's Queen does her impersonation of Michael Owen and scores the winning goal:

13. Qd1-g4+ Kg8-h8
14. Qg4-g7++

Let's go back to the start and see if you remember the moves of the opening.

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Bf1-c4 Bf8-c5

4. d2-d3   Ng8-f6

5. Nb1-c3 d7-d6

6. Bc1-g5 (PIN!)

It's easy to remember how to play this opening: Pawn, Knight, Bishop, Pawn, Knight, Bishop! In that order!

6. ......      0-0

7. Nc3-d5

ATTACKING THE PINNED PIECE!

7. ......     a7-a6

This time we'll look at PLAN B. Now the Bishop captures on f6:

8. Bg5xf6 g7xf6 (see diagram)

Again, the Black Knight has been sent off, and Gerry has turned into Freddie. Where do you want the White Queen this time? Now the answer's h6, when Black will not be able to defend f6. How do we get her there? Via d2.

9. Qd1-d2 b7-b5?

Black's best move was Bc8-e6, to get rid of the Knight.

10. Qd2-h6 b5xc4 (see diagram)

And again you know what to do, don't you?

11. Nd5xf6+ Kg8-h8

The only other move was Qd8xf6, losing the Queen.

12. Qh6xh7++

HELPFUL HINTS

1. It's easy to remember how to play this opening for White: PAWN, KNIGHT, BISHOP, PAWN, KNIGHT, BISHOP!

2. In most openings you'll learn on this course it's important to castle as soon as possible. This one's the exception: the player who castles first often loses.

3. You can use the DOUBLE FREDDIE ATTACK in many different positions: 1.- Use your Bishop to PIN the Knight on f3 or f6. 2.- Attack the PINNED Knight. 3.- Capture to smash up the enemy Pawns, turning Gerry into Freddie. 4.- Bring your Queen in to deliver Checkmate!

4. If your opponent moved some Pawns in front of his King, look for ways for getting your big guys in round the gaps he's left in his position.

5. When you've castled, don't make Pawn moves in front of your King without a very good reason.

"Exeter Chess Club"
Pawn Formations: an A-Z guide

"The most important feature of the Chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game (opening, middlegame and especially endgame). The primary constraint on a piece's activity is the Pawn structure."-- Michael STEAN, in Simple Chess.

"In general, a Pawn centre is a good thing not in itself but in its usefulness for concrete ends." -- Mark Dvoretsky & Artur Yusupov, Opening Preparation.

A. . Symmetrical Centre Formations
A.1. Vanished centre
A.2. The QP centre
A.3. The KP centre
A.4. Symmetrical Four Pawns Centre: (i) KPs forward
A.5. Symmetrical Four Pawns Centre: (ii) QPs forward
B. . Positional advantage in the centre
B.1. Advanced Fixed Single-Pawn (i) KP forward
B.2. Advanced Fixed Single-Pawn (ii) QP forward
B.3. Partially Fixed Centre (i) tension form
B.4. Partially Fixed Centre (ii) Benoni without ...e6
B.5. Partially fixed centre (iii) French with White d-Pawn backward
B.6. Partially fixed centre (iv) French with Black d-Pawn backward
B.7. Mobile Centre (i) King Pawn
B.8. Mobile Centre (ii) Queen Pawn
C. . Extra Central Pawns
C.1. Absolute Centre
C.2. Hanging Centre
C.3. Classic Centre
C.4. Neo-Classic Centre *
C.5. Neo-Classic Centre: with open file
C.6. Unbalanced tension form
C.7. Latent Central Majority (i) QP in reserve
C.8. Latent Central Majority (ii) KP in reserve
D. . Closed Formations
D.1. Blocked oblique (i) QP forward *
D.2. Blocked oblique (ii) KP forward *
D.3. Stonewall
D.4. Anti-Stonewall
D.5. Pseudo-Stonewall (Botvinnik)
D.6. Wyvill Formation
D.8. Winawer Formation
E. . Open Formations
E.1. Ruy Lopez Formation
E.2. French/Caro formation *
E.3. Sicilian Formation *
E.4. Rival Majorities (i) with open file between
E.5. Rival Majorities (ii) with no open file between
F. . Half-open formations
F.1. Half-Open with an open file (i) symmetrical
F.2. Half-Open with an open file (ii) focus formation
F.3. Half-Open with an open file (iii) Blocked Oblique
F.4. Half-open with half-open files (i) French
F.5. Half-open with half-open files (ii) Caro-Kann / QGD Exchange
F.6. Passed Pawn, protected but blockaded
F.7. Isolated Queen's Pawn *
F.8. Hanging Pawns *
* indicates most common or important types

Exeter Chess Club: Pawn mobility

Pawn Majorities, Pawn Rollers, blockade and restraint. I will give several illustrative games here - fairly straightforward games from Capablanca, Alekhine, Korchnoi and Karpov showing Pawns mobile and dangerous, and the others (e.g. Nimzovitch's) showing them stuck and vulnerable.

Pawn majorities:

1. Marshall-Capablanca, 1909

2. [White "Alekhine, Alexander"][Black "Marshall, Frank"][result "1-0"]

Pawn mobility:

1. [White "Korchnoi"][Black "Szabo"][result "Ø"]

2. [White "Dodd, N."][Black "Regis, D."][result "Ù"]

3. [Karpov-Miles]

Immobile Pawns:

1. [White "Mattison"][Black "Nimzovich"][Site "Carlsbad"][Date "1929.??.??"][result "Ù"]

2. [White "Bronstein, David"][Black "Najdorf, M."][result "Ø"]

3. [White "Spassky, B."][Black "Fischer, R."][result "Ù"]

4. [White "Spassky"][Black "Tal, Mikhail N."][result "Ù"]

5. [Event "March vs St.neots 'B',1978"][White "Pope, M. "][Black "Regis, D"]

6. [Johner-Nimzovich]

Three opening themes that are all about Pawns:

4.6.3.4 The minority attack (Tough stuff-level 3/4 players only).

Pawn majorities

If you have a Pawn majority - say, three Pawns to your opponent's two on one side of the board - you should be able to create a passed Pawn. By advancing the Pawn, you should be able to create enough pressure to win.

Steinitz was the first great exploiter of Pawn majorities, particularly on the Queen's side where they can often advance without fear of exposing the King. Some people regard the Queen's side majority as an advantage in itself, but realistically it depends on where and what the other pieces are.

"Exeter Chess Club"
Weak Pawns: An introduction to theory and practice
"Doubled, isolated and blockaded Pawns are weak: avoid them!"

Fine, Basic Chess Endings.

Introduction
Backward Pawn.
Disadvantages of Backward Pawns
Possible compensations with Backward Pawns
Doubled Pawns
Disadvantages of Doubled Pawns
Possible compensations with Doubled Pawns
Isolated Pawn
Disadvantages of Isolated Pawns
Possible compensations with Isolated Pawns
Hanging Pawns
Disadvantages of Hanging Pawns
Possible compensations with Hanging Pawns
Pawn islands
Disadvantages of extra Pawn islands
Possible compensations with extra Pawn islands
Winning against holes in the Pawn formation
Steinitz,W - Blackburne,J London, 1876
Winning against a Backward Pawn
Bogoljubow,Efim - Capablanca,Jose (New York ) (09) [D05] 1924
Winning with a Backward Pawn
Zinn - Sveshnikov, Decin [B33] 1974
Winning against Doubled Pawns
Mattison - Nimzovich (carlsbad) CHERNEV [E21] 1929
Winning with Doubled Pawns
Bhend, E - Hort, V (Kecsemet) [B00] 1964
Winning against an Isolated Pawn
Lasker-Reshevsky, Nottingham 1936
Winning with an Isolated Pawn
Stoltz - Thomas, Zaandamk [D40]1946
Winning against Hanging Pawns
Fischer - Spassky WCh (6) [D59] 1972
Winning with Hanging Pawns
Bertok - Fischer [D59] 1962
Winning against extra Pawn islands
Capablanca,Jose - Kupchik,Abraham (Havana ) (07) [C49] 1913
Winning with extra Pawn islands

Stalemate: The game's over but nobody won, what's going on here?

Stalemate is one of the more confusing concepts to beginners. Stalemate is a case in which neither side wins the game but it is declared a draw. By the laws of Chess, you must play a move when it is your turn. Unlike other games, you are not allowed to pass your move. But what happens if you don't have any legal moves?

That's where the stalemate rule comes into play. You have no legal moves, but by the laws of Chess, you have to play a move. The position is declared as stalemate and the game is drawn. There are also many more ways than stalemate to draw a game. Draws are explained in much more detail later on in this section.

Zugzwang: Zug-What?

Why couldn't they just use English? This one is a German word and it's a little more complicated than a lot of things that you've done so far. The word means compulsion to move and it doesn't happen very often. A Zugzwang position is one in which it your turn to move but any move that you make will make your position worse. Pretty cool stuff eh? Well, that's your sneak peek at Zugzwang, more will await you as you progress, and there's much cooler stuff than just that!

Pawn Promotion

The pawn: not even good enough to be called a piece. They're not very interesting, look kinda boring and they can only move forward. Something had to be done to spice this piece up. A Pawn, as you know, can only move one square forward at a time. Only forward, no sideways stuff. So, an interesting case came up where when the Pawn reached the 8th rank, it wouldn't be able to move anymore for the rest of the game. How could this be fixed?

The promotion of a Pawn! Those who struggle hard and work their way to the eighth rank get to promote to any piece they like! What a prize! When the game originally began, the Pawn could only promote to a "Mantri" (the predecessor of the Queen), which at the time was the lowest of the officer pieces. It wasn't until they introduced the "new Queen" that the Pawn could promote to anything it liked. Now, the threat of Queening is quite a threat indeed: introducing a Queen to the game could be deadly.

By the way, a small tidbit of information for you: the promotion of a Pawn to anything other than a Queen is what is known as underpromotion. Why would anyone want to underpromote? Well, it depends on the position. If there is a tactic in the position which the player can take advantage of only if he underpromotes, then he may choose to do so.

Numero Uno Pawn Move

Well, someone decided that Pawn promotion was not enough. The game was still too slow and needed to be sped up to provide excitement. Along with the introduction of the "new Queen" as I've been calling it, they introduced a rule, where on the Pawn's first move it is allowed to move up 2 squares. This picked up the speed of the game and made it more interesting. This rule applies to each Pawn, on their first move, not the first move of the game and can be invoked any time you please, but only on the Pawn's first move. You can't take this option after the Pawn has already moved one square.

Pawn Capturing

Still not enough! This rule, however, has stayed true for the existence of the game. When the Pawn captures, it captures different than the other pieces. Instead of capturing the way it moves, forward, the Pawn captures diagonally forward and it can't capture forward. This makes it a little more interesting and less predictable.

Moving and capturing

PAs can only move forward. When a PA makes a non-capturing move, it goes one cell forwards. When a PA is still on its original cell on the second row, it can make a non-capturing move forwards of one or of two cells - if it moves two cells, the first cell must be empty. A PA captures one cell diagonally forwards.

When a PA has moved two cells forwards, the opponent has the possibility to take it en passant: in the directly following turn a PA of the opponent may take it also on the cell that was passed by.

When a PA reaches a promotion cell (8th rank), that is, a cell on the last row of the board at the opponents side, it promotes. The owner of the PA may decide to which MP the PA promotes. In standard Chess, this is a QU, RO, KT, or BS of the same color as the PA. It is possible to promote to a MP that is not lost, so for instance, by promotion, a player could have two or more Queens on the board in standard Chess.

In Chess variants, and fairy Chess problems, the most used and recommended rule is to allow promotion to any type of non-royal MP that was on the board at the start of the game (i.e., no promotion to KI, unless specified otherwise). Promotion is still to a MP of the same color.

Pawns move forward only and they cannot retreat. At the beginning of a game, each Pawn has the option to advance 1 or 2 squares. Afterwards, they can only move one square at a time.

Pawns can capture in a diagonal way only as shown above. The e-4 Pawn cannot move forward because is blocked by the black e-5 Pawn nor he can move to d-5 since it is an illegal move.

Above, black Pawn just moved two squares to d-5. This enables the white Pawn to perform the optional en passant move by capturing it and placing himself onto the d-6 square (blue arrow).

When a Pawn reaches the 8th rank, it can be promoted to any desired piece other than King or Pawn. The Queen is chosen as a natural and logic move for it's the most powerful Chess piece.

Notes: for more information on the usual Chess Pawn, see Chesmayne Illustrated rules of Chess or the FIDE laws of Chess.

Pawn, historic remarks

With slightly different movement rules, the PA already appeared in the first variant of Chess, Chaturanga, about one-and-a-half millennium ago in India. At the period in the history of Europe that marked the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance, movement of the PA was slightly changed: it gained its initial double step (FMO), and later en-passant capture, and different promotion rules were added.

More than any other mp, the PA is the Chess piece that is used as a metaphore: phrases like "He was just a Pawn in a Chess game" signify someone whose personal interests are sacrificed by others in a pursuit of other goals, referring to the PAs role in a Chess game.