Pawns: The Fabric of Chess (Part 3)

Pawns can attack also. The art of attacking with pawns requires great skill. Creating a pawn storm is like building a house of cards; the slightest miscalculation will cause one's pawn structure to collapse. Therefore, the following lesson is more of an introduction to pawn power play than an attempt to teach all the skills necessary to the beginning player.

Pawns facing the front sector of the opposing King (rangers) should advance in order to attack, while pawns covering the front sector of their own King (home pawns) should remain stationary for the sake of safety. The duties of the wing pawns become definite after both sides have castled. Consequently, only the center pawns (d-pawn and e-pawn) are entitled to advance in any case. The center pawns should advance with caution, the rangers with gusto, but the home pawns not at all.

Two pawns of the same party, placed next to each other so they mutually cover their stop squares (the squares immediately in front of each pawn), constitute an element which we call the duo. For instance Pc4, Pd4 or Pc5, Pd5. The duo is the formation in which pawns reach their top efficiency in the most economical way. Two duos are apt to control an entire rank; an effect which no other pawn formation can match. Consequently, pawns should be used in such a way that they form or can form duos, and remain able to do this again and again. The ability to produce duos is the most important measure of the value of a pawn formation.

The passer duo (pawns whose path is not directly opposed or guarded by an opposing pawn) is the strongest possible formation of connected passed pawns. Its power is tremendous; so tremendous that it usually makes no difference whether these pawns have helpers (flanking pawns of the same party) or not.

The following game illustrates the attacking power of pawns and the strength of a duo. Ranger pawns attack causing weaknesses in both pawn structures. However, White is the first to realize material gain leading to a passer duo which wins almost by its presence alone.

White: John Morash/2100+
Black: Dan Pendergrass/1900
Date: 25 February 1994
Event: Huntsville Chess Club Open
Opening: Samiesh Attack
Comments by John Morash and David Hayes

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Be3 d6 5. Qd2 Nf6 6. f3 b5 7. O-O-O O-O

White and Black castle into the coming pawn storms!

8. Bh6

This is a multipurpose move. It prepares to remove Black's Bishop on the long diagonal should it become annoying, and it blocks Black's h-pawn from advancing to h5 in an effort to stop the advance of White's h-pawn.

8... a5 9. h4 Bxh6

The only question is who will get there firstest with the mostest.

10. Qxh6 Kh8 11. h5 Ng8

After 11. h5, the h-pawn prepares to crack the shell around Black's King. On 11... Nxh5? 12. g4 Nf6 13. e5 winning. But 11... gxh5!? was worth a try.

12. Qd2 Qe8 13. g4 e5 14. Nh3 f6 15. hxg6 Qxg6 16. Bg2 Ra7?! 17. dxe5 fxe5

On 17... dxe5 18. Qd6 Nd7 19. Qxc6.

18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Rd7 20. Re6 Kg7 21. Rxe5

After 21. Rxe5, a monster passer duo emerges from the tactical swamp. Though not obvious at this stage of the game, the e/f pawn passer duo is a hideous monster. Note that White's g-pawn is not a full passer because its advance is guarded by Black's h-pawn.

21... h6 22. g5 Rd6 23. gxh6+ Rxh6 24. Rg5+ Kh7 25. Rg3 Na6 26. Ne2 Nc5 27. N2f4 Bxh3 28. Nxh3 Ne6 29. Kd2 Nf6 30. Ke3 Nh5 31. Ng5+ Nxg5 32. Rxg5 Nf4 33. Rxh6+ Kxh6 34. Rg4 Nh5 35. f4 Nf6 36. Rh4+ Kg7 37. e5 Nd5+ 38. Bxd5 cxd5 39. Rg4+ Kf7 40. f5 Rc8 41. c3 Rc6 42. Rd4 Rc5 43. Kf4 Rc4?

The horror of the passer duo makes trading Rooks a mistake. Still, an active death is perhaps preferable to the slow "death by duo" advance.

44. Rxc4 dxc4 45. Ke4 b4 46. Kd4 b3 47. a3

Black resigned. A victim of pawns.