In
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
, connected pawns are two or more pawns of the same color on adjacent , as distinct from
isolated pawn
In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn that has no friendly pawn on an adjacent . Isolated pawns are usually a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns. The square in front of the pawn may become a good outpost or otherwise a good ...
s. These pawns are instrumental in creating pawn structure because, when diagonally adjacent, like the two rightmost white pawns, they form a , a chain where the one behind protects the one in front. When attacking these chains, the weak spot is the backmost pawn because it is not protected by any other pawn.
Discussion
Connected pawns that are both
passed, i.e., without any enemy pawns in front of them on the same file or adjacent files, are referred to as connected passed pawns. Such pawns can be very strong in the
endgame
Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to:
Film
* ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film)
* ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film
* ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...
, especially if supported by other pieces. Often the opponent must
sacrifice to prevent one of the pawns from
promoting.
Connected passed pawns are usually superior to other passed pawns. An exception is in an
opposite-colored bishops endgame with a bishop and two pawns versus a bishop on the opposite color. If the pawns are connected and not beyond their fifth , the position is a theoretical
draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
whereas widely separated pawns would win.
Two connected pawns on the same without any friendly pawns on adjacent files are called .
Connected passed pawns
There is a saying that two connected passed pawns on the sixth are stronger than a
rook
Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to:
Games
*Rook (chess), a piece in chess
*Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game
Military
* Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft
* USS ...
. This is true if the other side has nothing but a rook to defend against the pawns (and the defender cannot immediately capture one of the pawns). In this diagram, White wins:
:1. c6 Rd3
::1...Rc3 is similar.
:2. c7
::2.d7 followed by 3.c7 also wins.
:2... Rc3 3. d7
::And one of the pawns will
promote.
See also
*
Pawn structure
In a game of chess, the pawn structure (sometimes known as the pawn skeleton) is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. Because pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus plays a large ...
*
Isolated pawn
In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn that has no friendly pawn on an adjacent . Isolated pawns are usually a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns. The square in front of the pawn may become a good outpost or otherwise a good ...
*
Doubled pawns
In chess, doubled pawns are two pawns of the same color residing on the same file. Pawns can become doubled only when one pawn captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides. In the diagram, the white pawns on the b-file and e-file a ...
*
Backward pawn
In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind all pawns of the same color on the adjacent and cannot be safely advanced. In the diagram, the black pawn on the c6-square is backward.
Disadvantages
Backward pawns are usually a positional d ...
References
Bibliography
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{{chess
Chess terminology
Chess strategy