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In chess
Chess

Chess is a recreational and competitive game played between two Player . Sometimes called Western chess or international chess to distinguish it from History of chess and other chess variants, the current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from similar, much older...
, an isolated pawn is a pawn
Pawn (chess)

The pawn is the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game of chess, representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen....
 for which there is no friendly pawn on an adjacent file
Chess terminology

This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. Some of these have their own pages, like Fork and Pin . For a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see fairy chess piece; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see chess problem terminology; for a list of chess related games, see chess variants....
. An isolated queen
Queen (chess)

The queen is the most powerful chess piece in the game of chess. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of their first rank next to their King ....
's pawn is often called an isolani.

In the endgame, isolated pawns are a weakness because they cannot be defended by other pawns. In this diagram, the white pawn on the e5 square and the black pawn on a7 are isolated. (Also see backward pawn
Backward pawn

In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind the pawns of the same color on the adjacent Chess terminology#File and that cannot be advanced without loss of material, usually the backward pawn itself....
 and doubled pawns
Doubled pawns

In chess, doubled pawns are two pawn s of the same color residing on the same Chess terminology#File. Pawns can become doubled only when one pawn captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides....
.)

Isolated pawns are weak for two reasons.






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In chess
Chess

Chess is a recreational and competitive game played between two Player . Sometimes called Western chess or international chess to distinguish it from History of chess and other chess variants, the current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from similar, much older...
, an isolated pawn is a pawn
Pawn (chess)

The pawn is the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game of chess, representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen....
 for which there is no friendly pawn on an adjacent file
Chess terminology

This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. Some of these have their own pages, like Fork and Pin . For a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see fairy chess piece; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see chess problem terminology; for a list of chess related games, see chess variants....
. An isolated queen
Queen (chess)

The queen is the most powerful chess piece in the game of chess. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of their first rank next to their King ....
's pawn is often called an isolani.

In the endgame, isolated pawns are a weakness because they cannot be defended by other pawns. In this diagram, the white pawn on the e5 square and the black pawn on a7 are isolated. (Also see backward pawn
Backward pawn

In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind the pawns of the same color on the adjacent Chess terminology#File and that cannot be advanced without loss of material, usually the backward pawn itself....
 and doubled pawns
Doubled pawns

In chess, doubled pawns are two pawn s of the same color residing on the same Chess terminology#File. Pawns can become doubled only when one pawn captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides....
.)

Isolated pawns are weak for two reasons. First of all, the pieces attacking them usually have more elasticity than those defending them. In other words, the attacking pieces enjoy greater freedom to do other things (threaten to win pieces, checkmate
Checkmate

Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured....
, etc.), while the defending pieces are restricted to the defense of the pawn. This is because a piece that is attacking a pawn can give up the attack to do something else whereas the defending piece must stay rooted to the spot until the attacking piece has moved. The defending piece is thus said to be "tied down" to the pawn.

The second reason is that the square immediately in front of the isolated pawn is weak because it is immune to attack by a pawn (often providing an excellent outpost for a knight
Knight (chess)

The knight is a chess piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head, leading some to refer to it informally as a "horse"....
). Thus an isolated pawn provides a typical example of what Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz

Wilhelm Steinitz was an people-USA chess player and the first undisputed World Chess Championship from 1886 to 1894. Some contemporaries and later writers described him as world champion since 1866, when he won a match against Adolf Anderssen....
 called weak squares.

An isolated queen pawn (IQP), called isolani (it is not clear why this term is used rather than the singular form, 'isolanus', which is ironic considering that the pawn stands alone) is often a special case. An isolated queen pawn is one in the queen's file (d file). Assuming that it is a white pawn on d4, the weakness of such a pawn consists in its having to be defended and the weak square in front of it (i.e. d5 for white) being of particular importance. However the presence of open file
Open file

An open file in chess is a Chess terminology#F with no pawn of either color on it. In the diagram, the e-file is an open file. An open file can provide a line of attack for a rook or Queen ....
s in the important king and queen bishop (e and c) files as well as the outposts at e5 and c5 enable the player with the IQP very favourable attacking chances in the middle game. Once the game reaches the endgame the isolated nature of the pawn becomes a greater weakness than these strengths. Therefore the player with the IQP must take advantage of the temporary strength before an endgame is reached. With four minor pieces
Chess terminology

This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. Some of these have their own pages, like Fork and Pin . For a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see fairy chess piece; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see chess problem terminology; for a list of chess related games, see chess variants....
 each, an IQP is an advantage; with three minor pieces each, it is about even; and with two or fewer minor pieces each, it is a disadvantage . Sacrifice of the pawn by white and blockade of the pawn by black are common themes.

See also

  • Pawn structure
    Pawn structure

    In chess, the pawn structure is the configuration of pawn on the chessboard. Since pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus largely determines the strategic nature of the position....
  • Doubled pawns
    Doubled pawns

    In chess, doubled pawns are two pawn s of the same color residing on the same Chess terminology#File. Pawns can become doubled only when one pawn captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides....
  • Backward pawn
    Backward pawn

    In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind the pawns of the same color on the adjacent Chess terminology#File and that cannot be advanced without loss of material, usually the backward pawn itself....
  • Connected pawns
    Connected pawns

    In chess, connected pawns are two or more pawns of the same color on adjacent file , as distinct from isolated pawns. These pawns are instrumental in creating pawn structure because, when diagonally adjacent, like the two rightmost white pawns, they form a Glossary of chess#Pawn chain, a chain where the one behind protects the one in front....


Further reading


  • Aron Nimzowitsch
    Aron Nimzowitsch

    Aron Nimzowitsch was a Latvian-born Denmark unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer. He was the foremost figure amongst the hypermodernism ....
     - My System