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    Pawn Battle Strategies

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    Dilesh Bansal
    "Pawn battle" is a simplified chess game that's easy to play. Players take turns moving one pawn at a time according to chess rules. The first player to get to the other side of the board or to capture all of his opponent's pawns wins.

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    Pawn Battle Strategies

    Uploaded by

    Dilesh Bansal
    296 views5 pages
    "Pawn battle" is a simplified chess game that's easy to play. Players take turns moving one pawn at a time according to chess rules. The first player to get to the other side of the board or to capture all of his opponent's pawns wins.

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    "Pawn battle" is a simplified chess game that's easy to play. Players take turns moving one pawn at a time according to chess rules. The first player to get to the other side of the board or to capture all of his opponent's pawns wins.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    296 views5 pages

    Pawn Battle Strategies

    Uploaded by

    Dilesh Bansal
    "Pawn battle" is a simplified chess game that's easy to play. Players take turns moving one pawn at a time according to chess rules. The first player to get to the other side of the board or to capture all of his opponent's pawns wins.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    The key takeaways are the basic rules of Pawn Battle, common mistakes made by beginners, and important pawn strategies such as majorities, passed pawns, and disabling the opponent's majority.

    The basic rules of Pawn Battle are described on page 1 - the set up, objective of the game, how pawns can move, and the en passant capture rule.

    Some common mistakes made by beginners discussed on page 2 are leaving pawns en prise, advancing pawns without counting attacks from opponent's pawns, and failing to force a draw through stalemate.

    MichaelGoeller,Copyright2007

    Pawn Battle Rules and Strategies


    By Michael Goeller Pawn Battle is a simplified chess game thats easy to play. Its also a fun way to practice using pawns while learning some strategies that are important in chess. Here are the basic rules: Set up the pawns as they are in the opening position in chess (along the 2nd and 7th ranks, as shown in the diagram below), and take turns moving one pawn at a time according to the rules governing pawns in chess (see below). White moves first as in regular chess. The first player to get to the other side of the board (to make a Queen) or to capture all of his opponents pawns wins. You can also win if your opponent resigns (or surrenders). It is a draw (or tie result) if either side has pawns but no legal move (because all of the remaining pawns are blocked). We call this stalemate. You move one pawn at each turn. You cannot pass your move or move twice.

    The Set-up for Pawn Battle Rules for How Pawns Move The basic rules for how pawns move in Pawn Battle are the same as they are in regular chess: Pawns can only move forward, never backward or sideways. If another pawn obstructs their progress, then they are blocked and can no longer advance. Pawns capture diagonally one square in front of them of the same color, displacing the enemy piece. For example, a pawn on the e4 square could capture a pawn on d5 or f5. Pawns generally move forward only one square at a time, except on their first move (from the 2nd or 7th rank) when they have the choice of either moving one square or two. Dont forget the en passant rule! If a pawn moves forward two squares on its first move (from either the 2nd or 7th rank) and passes an opposing pawn (on either the 4th or 5th rank) that could capture the pawn if it were to move only one square, then the opposing pawn can capture the passing pawn en passant (French for in passing). The en passant capture must be exercised immediately or not at all. When a pawn reaches the other side of the board, it becomes a Queen (or any piece). 1

    MichaelGoeller,Copyright2007

    Basic Concepts in Pawn Battle


    Beginners games in Pawn Battle are often decided by basic mistakes. Remember, if you accidentally lose even one pawn you will likely lose the gameunless you can get a draw by stalemate! 1. Pawn En Prise 2. Counting Captures

    The most common way for beginners to lose at Pawn Battle is by giving their pawns away, leaving them en prise (available for capture, in French). In Diagram #1 above, it is White to play and win a pawn that Black has left en prise. 3. Passed Pawn = Touchdown!

    Whenever you advance a pawn so that it can be captured by enemy pawns, be sure that you have as many defenders as there are attackers. In the diagram above, Black has failed to count the captures correctly. White to play and win. 4. Zero Legal Moves = Stalemate!

    Pawn Battle sometimes comes down to a race between passed pawns (that is, pawns with no obstructions). Who will get to the finish line and make a Queen? The winner is the one who gets there first! White to play who wins?

    Even when you are behind in the pawn count and all hope seems lost, you can still play for a draw (a tie) by setting up a position where you have no legal moves. We call that stalemate. In Diagram #4, White to play and force a draw.

    MichaelGoeller,Copyright2007

    Pawn Battle Strategy


    There is more to pawn strategy than waiting for your opponent to make a mistake and lose a pawn or allow stalemate. The principles below are valuable for understanding how pawns work in chess. 5. Majorities and Passed Pawns 6. The Disabled Majority

    Passed pawns can score a touchdown to win the game. But how can you get a passed pawn? You can create a passed pawn by making even exchanges where you have a majority of pawns (more than your opponent). In Diagram #5 above, White to play and win. 7. The Breakthrough Sacrifice

    We say that a majority is disabled when it is not possible to use it to create a passed pawn. In Diagram #6 above, how has White disabled Blacks majority? How will White win because Blacks majority is disabled?

    8. Zugzwang!

    We saw that majorities create passed pawns, but you can also create a passed pawn by removing the guard with a breakthrough sacrifice. In Diagram #7, White to play and win. 3

    In Pawn Battle, you cant pass your turn even when moving any pawn will lose. We call this situation zugzwang (German for the compulsion to move). White to play and win!

    MichaelGoeller,Copyright2007

    Pawn Battle Themes and Tactics


    The following positions illustrate more strategic themes and tactics that will help you win at Pawn Battle while deepening your understanding of pawn strategies in regular chess. 9. Breakthrough Combination 10. Backward Pawns

    We call a series of moves leading by force to an advantageous result a combination. Often, but not always, combinations involve a sacrifice of material for some other gainsuch as forcing a pawn through to become a Queen! White to play and win by a breakthrough combination. 11. Isolated Pawns

    Pawns that have no friendly pawns for backup to support their advance are called backward. Backward pawns are subject to being blockaded, rendering them ineffective. In the diagram above, who has more pawns? Who has backward pawns? Who will win and why? 12. Doubled Pawns

    Isolated pawns sit alone on a file with no peers on neighboring files to support their advance. White to play who wins and why?

    Doubled pawns occupy the same file and can get in each others way, making them ineffective. White to play who wins and why?

    MichaelGoeller,Copyright2007

    Solutions to the Puzzle Positions


    Thepuzzlepositionsthataccompanyeachconceptsometimeshavemorethan onesolution. Sometimesthesolutiondependsoncountingmovesorcountingcaptureswhichcanhappenin differentorders.Othertimesitdependsuponunderstandingabasicconcept.Ifyougetthe conceptofapawnmajority,forexample,thenyoudontevenhavetoworkoutthedetailsof howthemajoritywillcreateapassedpawnandmakeaQueen.Youshouldseethatmakinga Queenisinevitable. Thatswhyplayerssometimesresign:theendisalreadyinsight. Inordertounderstandthesolutionstothepuzzles,youneedtounderstandthesystemof algebraicchessnotation. Basically,everysquareonachessboardisnamedaccordingtothe letterofitsfile(AthroughH)and thenumberofitsrank(1through8),recordedalwaysfrom Whitesperspective. Thus,thewhitesquareinthelowerrighthandcorneroftheboardwould becalledh1. A gridsystemofnamingsquaresisoftenfamiliareventochildrenfromthe populargameBattleship. Thelettersandnumbersareindicatedoneverydiagramabove.For purposesofclarity,thesolutionsbelowaregiveninlongnotation,whichincludesthesquare thepawnvacatedandthesquareitadvancedto,separatedbyahyphen. 1. Whitetoplaywinsapawnby1.e4xf5(thepawnone4capturestheBlackpawnonf5). WhitewillnowbeabletousehispassedgpawntomakeaQueen. 2. Whitewinsapawnandthegamewith1.e4xf5g6xf52.g4xf5andthenwinsinthesame way asinthefirstproblem,byadvancinghispassedgpawn. 3. Whitewinsby1.g2g4!Remember:pawnscanmovetwosquaresonthefirstmove.Play mightthengo1.c6c52.g4g5c5c43.g5g6c4c34.g6g7c3c25.g7g8=Qandwins. 4. Whiteforcesstalemateby1.c5c6!d7xc6(otherwiseWhiteQueensfirst!)2.e3e4!Draw. 5. WhiteuseshispawnmajoritytocreateaQueenwith1.a3a4!g7g52.a4a5g5g43.b5 b6a7xb64.a5xb6g4g35.b6b7g3g26.b7b8=Qwins. 6. WhitecanusehismajoritytomakeapassedpawnandgetaQueen.Blacksmajorityis disabledbecause1f7f5allowsWhitetowinby2.e5xf6enpassant.Playmightgo 1.b2b4h7h52.b4b5h5h43.a2a4h4h3(Blackhasnootherusefulmove)4.g2xh3 andnowBlackmusteventuallyplay4f7f5allowing5.e5xf6andWhitequicklygetsa Queen. 7. 1.f4f5!e6xf52.e5e6andWhitewillmakeaQueenfirst. 8. Whitewinsby1.e3e4a7a62.a2a3andBlackmustmakeamovethatlosesapawnand allowsWhitetoquicklymakeaQueen:2a6a53.b4xa5b5b44.a5a6! etc. 9. 1.b5b6!a7xb6(or1c7xb62.a5a6!)2.c5c6!b7xc63.a5a6etc. 10. WhiteadvanceshismajorityonthelefttomakeaQueenorwinsby zugzwang,e.g.:1.b2 b4!(notethat1.a2a4?losesto1a6a5!andWhitelosesbyzugzwangduetohavinga backwardpawn)1h7h62.a2a4f6f5(Blackhasnogoodmoves)3.b4b5(Whitecan alsowinby3.g4xf5etc.)3f5xg44.b5b6g4g35.b6b7g3g26.b7b8=Qandwins. 11. WhitewinsbymakingapassedpawnandthenaQueenusinghismajorityontheright sideoftheboard. Hecanalsowinbyeventual zugzwangwith1.b4! 12. Asimilarsolutiontopuzzle#11. WhitesmajoritymakesaQueen,butBlackscannot. Ifyoudontunderstandthesolutions,setupeach positiononaboardandplayoutthesolution accordingtothedirectionsgiven.Ifyoustillhavequestions,talktoyourchesscoach (oranyone whounderstandstheprinciplesofchess)andseeifheorshecanexplainittoyou.

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