Superiority of the pawn structure

Double Pawns

We need to make an observation about the title of this lesson. Pawn structure usually is
a term that refers to the typical pawn formations resulted from the most important
opening systems (so, we have pawn structures like Hedgehog, Kings Indian, Carlsbad,
Dragon etc.). These pawn structures will be studied in detail within 4 months of our
course (7-10).

In the previous lessons, we have studied about weak squares, weak pawns and complexes
of weak squares. Now, we will identify and study other strategic issues that make a pawn
structure inferior to the opponents one: double pawns, pawn islands, and inflexible pawn
structure.

Double pawns

The Disadvantages of formations with doubled pawns:

- weaknesses of the pawns and squares around them;
- reduced mobility;
- difficulty or even incapacity to create a free pawn;
- small defensive value in case they protect the king.

The formations with double pawns also confer some Advantages:

- the open file adjacent to the doubled pawns;
- control of 2 squares on the adjacent files;
- slow down the opponent pawn majority to create a free pawn.

D: The weaknesses the isolated double pawns are especially weak.

In this position, Black has a pair of isolated double XABCDEFGHY

pawns and also an isolated pawn on the a-file.
While Whites pawn on the queenside can defend 8-tr-+-mk-+(
each other, this is not the case with the black 7zp-zp-+p+p'
pawns. White can win a pawn by: 6-+p+-+p+&
1.Ra4 Ra8 (or 1Rb7) 2.Ra6.
It is interesting to note that even after White wins 5+-+-+-+-%
one of the pawns, Black still remains with 2 weak 4-+-+RzP-+$
pawns on a7 and c7. So the elimination of one of
the isolated double pawns does not solve the 3zPP+-+-zP-#
problem of weaknesses. 2-+P+K+-zP"
The squares around the isolated pawns are weak
too. In this example, White could use the a6-square
1+-+-+-+-!
because it was weak. Also, the c5- and c6- squares xabcdefghy
are weak too. White is to move

1
We draw an important conclusion: not only the double pawns are weak, but the squares
where they are placed and the squares around them are also weak.

In this position from the game Lombard XABCDEFGHY

Kortschnoj, 1978, Black even sacrificed material (an
exchange for a pawn) to destroy Whites pawn 8r+-+-wqk+(
structure. 7zplzpp+pzpp'
White has isolated doubled pawns on the c-file 6-zp-+nsn-+&
which is not open, but the real problem here is the
weakness of squares on the queenside that Black can 5+-+-zp-+-%
exploit: 4-+P+P+-+$
14Nf4 15.f3 Qc5+ 16.Kh1 Ba6 17.Rfe1 Nxd3
18.Qxd3 Bxc4 19.Qd2 Be6 20.Nf5 Bxf5 21.exf5 d6 3+-zPL+-sN-#
and Black equalized from material point of view and 2P+Q+-zPPzP"
has a winning position: the white rooks are
powerless without open files and there are
1tR-+-+RmK-!
weaknesses in Whites camp that black strong queen xabcdefghy
and knight can exploit. Moreover, Black can create Black is to move
more weaknesses by advancing h7-h5-h4.

The game went: 22.Rab1 a5 23.c4 Re8 24.Qb2 h5 25.Qb5 Qd4 26.Qc6 Re7 27.h3 h4 28.c5 Qxc5
29.Qa4 Qf2 30.Rf1 Qg3 31.Rb3 Qg5 32.Re1 Nh5 33.Qg4 Ng3+ 34.Kh2 Qf6 35.f4 e4 36.Qg5
Qxg5 37.fxg5 Nxf5 01

D: Reduced mobility

To understand better the problem of mobility of XABCDEFGHY

double pawns we present a position without pieces
on the board. 8-+-+-+-`+(
7zppzp-+pzpp'
If white pawns were not doubled (the c3-pawn 6-+-zp-+-+&
being on b2), Whites active plan could be:
d3-d4-d5, followed by c2-c4-c5 and if Black wants 5+-+-zp-+-%
to stop the c-pawn by b7-b6, White has b2-b4 at 4-+-+P+-+$
hand, supporting c5.
3+-zPP+-+-#
With the pawns doubled on the c-file, this plan 2P+P+-zPPzP"
does not work because Black can simply play b7-
b6 and stop the c-pawns advance. Also, Black can
1+-+-+-m+-!
use the c5-square as a strong outpost his knights. xabcdefghy

2
In this diagram, the white pawns already advanced XABCDEFGHY
on d5 and c4. In this advanced formation, the
double pawns are vulnerable and Black can start 8-+r+-mk-+(
the attack by: 7zppzp-+pzpp'
1c7-c6!, followed by 2c6xd5 3.c4xd5 6-+-zp-+-+&
By this typical attack, the doubled pawns are 5+-+Pzp-+-%
repaired (the c4-pawn will be on d5), but with no 4-+P+P+-+$
happy end for White.
The other c-pawn remains backward on an open 3+-+-+-+-#
file and all the squares on the c-file are weak. 2P+P+RzPPzP"
We can draw a conclusion: the doubled pawns
1+-+-+-mK-!
become weaker as they advance. xabcdefghy
So, when your opponent has doubled pawns Black to move
similar to our first diagram:
1. Attract his pawns to advance (this is not an easy task however)
2. Attack the opponent pawn formation with your own pawns (not fearing about repairing
the doubled pawns) this attack will bring serious weaknesses in opponents camp
again, a deficiency of the doubled pawns is the weakness of the squares around them,
which usually is not solved after one of the pawns disappeared.

D: Incapacity to create a free pawn

Another serious problem of the doubled pawns is XABCDEFGHY

their incapacity to create a free pawn.
8-+-+-mk-+(
In this position, the pawns are separated in 2 7zppzp-+pzpp'
majorities, but the black pawns have no possibility 6-+p+-+-+&
to pass over the white smaller pawn formation.
- It could be instructive for you to play only with the 5+-+-+-+-%
queenside pawns and verify this theory. 4-+-+P+-+$
On the other hand, white e- and f- pawns (or the 3+-+-+P+-#
entire kingside majority) have no problems to create 2PzPP+-mKPzP"
a free pawn.
1+-+-+-+-!
The endgame is lost for Black. xabcdefghy

The doubled pawns are usually a serious problem in the endgame. The weakness of the
pawns and the issue of creating a free pawn are essential in this stage of the game.
The formations with doubled pawns can be however very well compensated during the
middlegame by the activity of pieces.

3
A: Adjacent open file

In this position from the game Smyslov XABCDEFGHY

Anatoshin, 1963, White has doubled pawns in front
of his king. Usually, the kings protection suffers 8r+-+-trk+(
when the pawns are doubled. 7+-zp-+pzp-'
However, here, Black is unable to organize an attack 6pzpnwq-+-zp&
on the kingside and it is White who will attack there
using the advantage of the open g-file: 5+-+p+-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$
17.Kh1! Na5 18.Qa2 c5 19.Rg1 cxd4 20.cxd4 Rfc8
21.Rg3 Rc3 22.Rag1 with a strong attack. 3zPQzPLzPP+-#
2-+-+-zP-zP"
The game went: 22g5 23.Qe2 Nb3 24.Bb1 Nc1
25.Qd1 Qxa3 26.f4 Qb2 27.Qh5 Rc6 28.fxg5 Qxb1
1tR-+-+RmK-!
29.gxh6+ Kh8 30.Qxf7 Qh7 31.Rg7 10 xabcdefghy
White is to move

A: Double pawns against a pawn majority

On the side where one player has a pawn-majority, the double pawns are even very good
in retaining the advance of this majority. Moreover, in this case, there is no open file
toward the double pawns and therefore their weakness is less important.

8-+- For example, in this structure, White has a pawn majority on the
7+p+ queenside. Black has double pawns which can hold Whites majority
6-zp- very well.
5+-+
4-+P In order to create a free pawn on this side, White needs to play:
1.b3-b4, 2.c4-c5 b6xc5, 3.b4xc5 and you can see that White pawns
3+P+
are dispersed and he needs to sacrifice a pawn to free the other:
2P+-
1+-+ 4.a2-a4, 5.a4-a5, and 6.a5-a6 b7xa6, and finally 7.c5-c6.
xabcy

8-+- If Black pawns are on their initial positions, White can advance his
7zpp+ majority much quicker and create a free pawn in only 4 moves and
6-+- without a pawn sacrifice:
5+-+ 1.b3-b4, 2.c4-c5, 3.b4-b5, and 5.c5-c6
4-+P
The conclusion is very simple: On the side where the opponent has a
3+P+
pawn majority, you can have no worries about doubling your pawns.
2P+- Double pawns on this side complicate the task of the player with the
1+-+ majority.
xabc

4
This position is from the game Rogozenko XABCDEFGHY
Morozevich 2000 and is very instructive for this
subject. 8-+-+-+k+(
White has a pawn majority on the kingside, Black 7zp-zpr+pzpp'
on the queenside. With the reduced material on the 6-zp-+l+-wq&
board, the players plans are around creating a free
pawn. 5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-zP$
Here, Black played a formidable move: 1Qf6!
exchanging Whites active piece. After 2.Qxf6 3zP-wQ-zPLzP-#
gxf6, Blacks double pawns on the kingside 2-zP-+-zP-+"
complicate Whites task to create a free pawn on
that side, while the Blacks mobile majority will
1+-+-mK-+R!
advance quickly on the queenside. xabcdefghy
Black is to move
The game went:
21...Qf6 22.Qxf6 gxf6 23.h5 h6 24.Rh4 c5 25.Be2 Bb3 26.Rf4 Kg7 27.g4 Rd6 28.Re4 Kf8
29.Rf4 a5 30.Re4 Rd8 31.Rf4 Ke7 32.Re4+ Kd6 33.Bd1 Be6 34.Be2 f5 35.gxf5 Bxf5 36.Rf4 Ke5
37.Rf3 b5 38.e4 Be6 39.Rc3 c4 40.f3 Kf4 41.Rc2 Rd4 42.Bd1 b4 43.axb4 axb4 44.Be2 Ke3
45.Rc1 Rd2 46.Bxc4 Rh2 47.Bf1 Rh1 48.Rc2 Bh3 01

A: Double pawns sometimes are very useful for controlling key-squares

In the game Ye Jiangchuan Fedorov, Black XABCDEFGHY

succeeded to take the bishop-pair after the
maneuver Nc6-a5xb3 taking the white light-square 8r+-wq-trk+(
bishop. 7+l+-zppvl-'
In this typical Sicilian structure, White has usually
6pzp-zp-snpzp&
no interest on the queenside this being the flank 5+-+-+-+-%
where Black attacks using his open c-file. 4-+-sNP+-vL$
Now, we can see that White double pawns on the b-
file do a respectable job in defending the key- 3+PsN-+-+P#
squares c3 and c4 and Blacks chances for some 2-zPP+-zPP+"
initiative here are seriously diminished.
1tR-+QtR-mK-!
Moreover, as a consequence of the capture a2-xb3, xabcdefghy
the a-file became open for White and Black has to White is to move
watch his a-pawn.
After 1.Nd5, White forces the opening of the e-file and after 1Nxd5 2.exd5 Re8 3.c4,
he exerts a strong pressure in the centre while the queenside is protected by the double
pawns.
The game went: (15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Re8 17.c4) Qd7 18.Qd3 Kh7 19.Rad1 e6 20.dxe6 fxe6
21.Nf3 Bxf3 22.Qxf3 Bxb2 23.Bg3 Ba3 24.Re4 Qe7 25.Bxd6 Bxd6 26.Rxd6 Qxd6 27.Qf7+ Kh8
28.Qf6+ Kh7 29.Qf7+ Kh8 30.Rh4 Qf8 31.Qxg6 Qg7 32.Rxh6+ Kg8 33.Qh5 Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Kf8
35.Qh4 Rad8 36.Rh8+ Kf7 37.Qf4+ Kg6 38.Qh6+ 10

5
In this position from the game Geller Lipnitsky, XABCDEFGHY
1951, White has isolated doubled pawns on the c-
file. In this case, the white c3-pawn does an 8r+lwqk+-tr(
excellent job to defend the d4-square where 7zp-+n+p+p'
otherwise Black could install a knight. 6-zpn+-+p+&
Whites position is better because he can exploit the
weakness of the d5-square by bringing his knight 5+-zp-zp-+-%
via Ng3-f1-e3-d5. 4-+P+P+-+$
13.Qe2 White protects the c4-pawn and Black has 3zP-zPL+-sN-#
no enough resource to attack this weakness. Now, 2-+-+-zPPzP"
its time to bring the knight on d5:
11Qe7 14.Rd1 Bb7 15.Nf1 000 16.Ne3 Na5
1tR-vLQ+RmK-!
17.Nd5 with clear advantage for White. xabcdefghy
White is to move

Double pawns are sometimes not double. XABCDEFGHY

Position from the game Almasi Piket, 2000. 8r+r+-mk-+(
Here, Black took on b5: 7+-+-snpzpp'
1Bxb5. The worry that White will have double 6-+l+p+-+&
pawns on the b-file after 2.a4xb5 has no point.
5zpLwqpzP-+-%
In fact, there is a huge difference: here, Whites 4P+-sN-+P+$
b5-pawn is practically a free pawn, while the b2-
pawn has the role to stop the black a-pawn. In fact, 3+-+R+P+-#
White succeeded to transform his blocked pawn 2-zP-+-+-zP"
majority on the queenside into a free pawn.
Moreover, the white pawn on b5 protects the
1+-+-wQR+K!
important c6-square obstructing the black knight. xabcdefghy
Black is to move

The superiority of the pawn structure will continue with the lesson about
inflexibly/dynamism of the pawn structure.