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"Pawns are the soul of chess." How many have read, heard, and memorized this iconic phrase from the legendary master François-André Danican Philidor? For players with little experience or study in the world of chess, the pawn is simply a nobody, but they are greatly mistaken, and this is the objective of this brief yet enlightening article on this important topic. For chess professionals, pawns are an invaluable guide, akin to musical notes for musicians; they are the foundation of everything in a game. It is crucial to read and understand what they convey, what they want to tell us, and where they want to lead us. For example, these little warriors tell us whether we should exchange pieces or not, whether one piece is better than another, whether to attack on the kingside or queenside. They also guide where our pieces should go, pointing to the opponent’s weaknesses. With pawns, we control the center to improve our pieces’ activity, use them to create breakthroughs that open lines for our forces while weakening the enemy's king or structure. They are also instrumental in neutralizing enemy troops by restricting their mobility on key squares. As most know, when they reach the 8th rank, they transform into a superior piece. Pawns are used in all phases of the game, forming the basis of plans and decision-making by masters. Without further ado, I leave you with some examples to illustrate these points.
After Black’s 5th move, 5...c5, the pawns clarify some aspects of the position, leading us to make decisions accordingly. The last move revealed that d6 and d5 are significant weaknesses, indicating that White’s pieces should develop and target those objectives. For example, Nd2-Nf4-Nd5, dominating the valuable d5 square. Additionally, the pawns clarify that among Black’s bishops, one is good, and one is bad. The light-squared bishop is clearly the better one, so White could proceed with Bb5, and after exchanging bishops, the knight can jump to f5, pressuring the weak pawn on d6. This attack can be reinforced with Bf4.
The objective of this position is to demonstrate that when we have a pawn on e5, it screams for an attack on the kingside. Why does a pawn on e5 demand an attack on the kingside? Because it provides more space for our pieces while displacing the main defender of the enemy king, the knight on f6. This often leads to powerful attacks beginning with the strong sacrifice Bxh7+, followed by Ng5 and Qh5.
A clear example where pawns guide us to play on the queenside. Why do the pawns indicate queenside play here? Having a pawn majority from the c-file to the a-file presents the possibility of creating a strong passed pawn, a lethal weapon when used effectively. Therefore, the master commanding the white pieces continued with Rb1, followed by a4 or c4, creating a powerful passed pawn on the b-file, leading to victory.
This position comes from a game I played against a GM on lichess.com. Another example illustrating when pawns guide us to play on the queenside while also clarifying a game plan for our pieces. As you can observe, all weaknesses in Black’s pawn structure are on the queenside (a6, a5, c6, c5, d6). Therefore, our forces should target these weaknesses. In this case, I devised the plan Nd2-Nb3-Nc5, followed by Bg5-Kd2-Be2, and doubling rooks on the a-file with Ra5 and Rha1. White’s pieces exploited Black’s weaknesses, leading to victory.
This position arose in a game played by the great Bobby Fischer. The legendary world champion clearly understood what the pawns conveyed: specific pieces needed to be exchanged to dominate the excellent outpost on d5 with a superb knight. The game continued with Bxf6, eliminating the first defender, followed by Bd5, exchanging another defender, allowing the knight to occupy its destined square.
This position arises from the Exchange Variation of the Ruy López (Spanish Opening). White has a very clear game plan, thanks to the pawn structure, which "screams" to exchange all pieces and transition into a pawn endgame. Here, White can secure victory by creating a passed pawn on the kingside. Meanwhile, Black cannot do the same on the queenside due to their doubled pawns.
A position from the Four Pawns Attack in the King’s Indian Defense. Here, pawns communicate to both sides what they must do. White needs to maintain their strong center, which guarantees space and mobility for their pieces. Black, on the other hand, must exploit White’s center if they wish to avoid being suffocated. This is only possible through a pawn breakthrough, a powerful tool. Black must aim to break with ...e5 or ...c5 as soon as possible to disrupt White’s central dominance and gain mobility for their forces.
An example of effectively using the pawn’s power to break through on h5, even at the cost of a sacrifice, to open the h-file and intensify the attack on the enemy king. The sequence might proceed with h5, and after the Black knight captures on h5, White continues with g4 and Bh6, unleashing the full power of their attack on the adversary’s monarch.
I hope and wish that the examples presented above provide insight into the importance of pawns in chess and demonstrate the truth of Philidor’s statement, validating its significance. Of course, this is not an exhaustive discussion, and I invite you to further your study of this critical piece of the game, which will undoubtedly enhance your level of play.
