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Lifestyle Gaming Chess

The Ultimate Guide to Chess Pawn Structures

Master the essential pawn structures with instructive examples from the World chess champions
Rating: 4.6 out of 54.6 (50 ratings)
555 students
Created by Tryfon Gavriel
Last updated 12/2020
English
English [Auto]
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

What you'll learn

  • Be able to recognise effective plans in different openings and their pawn structures e.g. Minority attack plan in Carlsbad structure of Queens Gambit exchange variation
  • Be able to build an effective opening repertoire which fits your playing style e.g. Nimzo-indian for prophylaxis style
  • Be able to use pawn structures to influence the level of tactics one needs to calculate - e.g. Slav or French structures can be used for quieter positions in general
  • Be able to understand what Beth Harmon meant with the terms "Backward pawn", "Hanging Pawns" and her general interest in Pawn Structures in the Netflix "The Queen's Gambit" series :)
  • Be able to let pawn structures drive your choice of openings knowing you have fundamental middlegame ideas
  • Be able to transpose favourably into different structures when appropriate e.g. from London system into Stonewall structure
  • Be able to recognise the key basic pawn formations that frequently arise from chess openings
  • Be able to head to particular structures which match your mood and energy levels for calculation or need for just drawing
  • Be able to leverage common winning patterns both for and against particular pawn structures within your own games
  • Be able to make use of Thorn pawn structures and head for them for both middlegame and endgame advantages
  • Be able to make positional pawn sacrifices for things like Knight outposts and other positional gains
  • Be able to make positional exchange sacrifices to create a longer term upward trend within certain pawn structures
  • Be able to make effective pawn based strategies for the opening phase
  • Be able to make effective pawn based strategies for the middlegame phase
  • Be able to make effective pawn based strategies for the endgame phase
  • Be able to appreciate the fundamentals of Pawn related Chess Strategy in terms of position evaluation and longer term planning
  • Be able to make use of pawn chain undermining where appropriate
  • Be able to make effective Outposts around key squares within the pawn structure
  • Be able to do "high level shuffling" especially around potential strategic pawn breaks to minimise regrets and maximise impact
  • Be able to understand the dynamic and positional tradeoffs of different pawn structure factoring in King position
  • Be able to see the up and downsides of the Isolated pawn structure and its descendants such as hanging pawns
  • Be able to choose openings based on their pawn structures if you wish to build up your tactical strengths e.g. gambits or dynamic structures such as Isolated or even Backward pawns in the Sicilian Sveshikov
  • Be able to recognise which dynamic structures need you to put on your calculation and attacking hats or pay a penalty later in miserable endgames
  • Be able to understand iconic and beautiful game examples for handling various pawn structures such as classic Bobby Fischer games
  • Be able to see with updated analysis fantastic examples that Kingscrusher has researched in the last few years from his Youtube channel
  • Be able to be inspired by connected passed pawn examples from the engine World where even Stockfish couldn't handle the potential of them
  • Be able to choose the right plan especially in non-tactical situations thus saving time on the clock
  • Be able to fight effectively against tactical players with methods such as counterplay-removal and endgame transitioning
  • Be stimulated to play the Sicilian Sveshnikov effectively being inspired by the Backward pawn examples
  • Simplify your need to memorise tonnes of opening theory if you master the essential pawn structures
  • Be able to make use of prophylaxis when appropriate within certain pawn structures
  • Be able to evolve your opening repertoire with structurally implied game examples in this course such as the Nimzo-Indian to inflict doubled pawns on opponents
  • Be able to see the price often paid for damaging structures such as "Bishop without counterpart" which can be a targetable downside in its own right
  • Be able to get make use of "Thorn pawn" structures aka "Chess cheat code!" which Chess Neural networks have proven valuable and Kingscrusher himself coined this term as highlighted by Grandmasters such as Matthew Sadler
  • Be able to add "Soul" to your chess game! - "Pawns are the Soul of Chess" - François-André Danican Philidor
  • To be able to have a more effective structural perspective on what is going on in a position
  • To be able to rethink your opening choices and general game plans generally based on pawn structures
  • Be able to have effective "template plans" based on pawn structure which occur in many different openings
  • Be able to use a nice simple line with White vs the Caro-Kann - the exchange variation with knowledge of Carlsbad structure ups and downs
  • Be able to play the Sicilian Sveshnikov making use of effective template plans given in the examples
  • Be able to understand the structural "playbook" of both sides in a tonne of different openings which have similar structures highlighted in this course
  • Be able to appreciate "structualists" like Capablanca, Petrosian, Karpov, Adams who are masters of pawn structure plans and annotated games with emphasis on structural implications
  • Be able to handle key pawn breaks for yourself and the opponent - give yourself a break :)
  • Be able to transform structures into other sometimes more exploitable advantages or other structures
  • Be able to appreciate Kingscrusher's pure love and admiration of Tigran Petrosian who also inspired Anatoly Karpov with the concept of relatively risk-free chess :)
  • Be able to appreciate Kingscrusher's love of Mikhail Tal in the Benoni structures which can be transposed to from the Kings Indian defence
  • Game analysis all engine checked with latest Stockfish NN (Neural Network) often uncovering amazing new previously undiscovered resources!
  • Be able to appreciate classic notable games in Chess history which are major stem games for key ideas organised by structure
  • Be able to see how World chess champions championed particular structures such as Petrosian in the French and Tal in the Modern Benoni

Requirements

  • Knows the basics of playing Chess

Description

"Pawns are the soul of chess!" - Philidor

Pawns unlike other pieces on the chessboard cannot move backward and as such, they represent the "irreversible decisions" of chess that one has to make carefully otherwise one could easily regret such pawn moves.

In this course, you will get a  strong focus on pawn structures in chess with example games from World chess champions and other master "structuralists" who have demonstrated a keen understanding of the importance of pawn structure and choice of openings for such structures.

The examples try and provide a roadmap of key plans against or for certain structures where appropriate to get a more balanced understanding of the pros and cons of each structure - and to be able to anticipate the opponent's plans and moves more easily.

Pawn structure plans and template ideas will help one play openings of any kind more effectively when aspects of that structure match key examples in this course fundamentally. You will be able to effectively reuse template plans from past world chess champions and Grandmasters and other great players.

Key pawn structural elements are looked at with many example games showing how they have their "up and downsides" including

Doubled pawns

Hanging pawns

Backward pawns

Isolated pawns

Pawn Islands

Passed pawns

Thorn pawns (yes Neural Networks have pointed the way here!)

And also more specific configurations of pawns are looked at including:

d5 pawn chain

e5 pawn chain

Carlsbad structure

Caro structure

Slav Structure

Boleslavsky Hole structure (especially Sveshnikov examples!)

Stonewall Structure

By the end of the course you should have more of a "structuralist" mindset to chess - and realise the importance more of the "little guys!" and they are really the very life and soul of the game as Philidor mentioned all that time ago!

Cheers, K


Who this course is for:

  • Chess beginner and intermediate players

Course content

28 sections • 295 lectures • 44h 54m total length

  • Preview11:19
  • Preview08:46
  • Phi, Steinitz, Nim, Capa, Botv, Petrosian, Karpov, Kramnik, Adams, Carlsen, lc0
    11:12
  • "Pawns can't go backwards" - Plaskett vs Adams example game
    09:49
  • Pawns influence strength or weaknesses of squares
    10:15
  • Why when annotating games to explain pawn moves - because irreversible - REGRET
    09:15
  • Focusing on actual exploitable weaknesses in pawn structure
    11:00
  • Remember this course is abstraction - also factor in pieces and King
    08:03
  • Playing open openings and bad looking pawns to maximise tactics and counterplay
    13:35

  • Isolated pawns Introduction
    08:32
  • "Fast dissolve for K-attack" method - Fischer brilliancy
    10:20
  • "Fast dissolve for K-Attack" method - Artur Yusupov vs Eric Lobron
    11:20
  • "Fast dissolve for K-Attack" method - Efim Geller vs Alexey Suetin
    09:17
  • "Undermine e6 with f5-f5 " - Botvinnik vs Vidmar 1936
    07:47
  • "Rook lift to g3 to break opponent K pawn chain" - Keene vs Miles - 1976
    11:34
  • "f7 softspot" - Mamedyarov vs Kharlov - 2006
    10:37
  • "Passed pawn transform" - Garry Kasparov vs Nigel Short - 1986
    13:33
  • "Enduring K-attack" - Sunye Neto vs Garry Kasparov
    11:19
  • "Open center - potential for blunder!" - Kasparov vs Karpov
    08:36
  • "Sac pawn and use K-side dark square strategy" - Kramnik vs Huebner
    08:58

  • Introduction to winning against Isolated Queens Pawns
    02:22
  • "Solid defence" - Naiditsch vs Adams 2013
    09:19
  • "Simplification to endgame" - Lasker vs Capablanca 1921 - QGD
    14:04
  • "Simplification to endgame" - Flohr vs Vidmar
    10:28
  • "Light square bishop" - Karpov vs Kasparov 1985 match, Round 4
    08:40
  • "Solidify and combine against" -Mamedyarov vs Magnus Carlsen
    07:01
  • "Firm blockade then K attack" - Lasker vs Reshevsky
    08:43
  • "Double attack IQP and b2" - Grigoriev vs Alekhine - 1920
    12:52
  • "Weaknesses beget weaknesses" - Michael Adams vs Nigel Short
    07:44
  • "Dark square weakness campaign"- Petrosian vs Hort
    07:31
  • "Dark square grip then K-attack" - Botvinnik vs Zagorjansky
    08:13

  • Backward pawns Introduction
    06:14
  • "Blockade on hole in front" - Rubinstein Example
    11:52
  • "Transforming to a K-attack" - Mikhail Tal vs Alexander Beliavsky
    10:20
  • "Blockade on hole in front then attack King" - Boleslavsky example
    06:41
  • "Blockade then King walk in endgame"
    06:53
  • "Alekhine Gun and dark square domination" - Adams vs Conquest 2010
    15:39
  • "Tying down resources then launching K-side attack" - Adams vs Egglestone
    12:04
  • "Exchange sacrifice to emphasise hole in front of pawn" - Kasparov vs Shirov
    13:05
  • "King safety issues and opposite side castling" - Kasparov vs Kramnik
    14:14
  • "Break the outpost rule for 7th rank - allowing pawn there" - Kasparov vs Wely
    11:00
  • "Counterplay remove and g-file pressure" - Anatoly Karpov vs John Nunn
    12:26

  • Introduction to winning with Backward pawns
    03:17
  • "Piece activity and K-side attack" - Cheparinov vs Magnus Carlsen
    11:52
  • "Supporting e5 knight" - Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen World Championship game
    08:23
  • "g-file tactics" - Lothar Zinn vs Evgeni Sveshnikov
    07:36
  • "use of semi open files and Dark squared B for K-attack" - Smeets vs Carlsen
    12:34
  • "Dynamic play on f file - and fracturing opponent's pawns" - Foreest vs Carlsen
    06:59
  • "Fighting not just outpost but entire diagonal" - Shirov vs Kasparov
    07:30
  • "Creating counterplay vs Fianchetto system" - Ljubovic vs Kramnik
    06:52
  • "Gaining Tempos from the principled Knight blockader" - Fressinet vs Gelfand
    07:49
  • "Dark squared bishop and g-file combo" - Judit Polgar vs Garry Kasparov
    12:32
  • "Sacrificing d6 for King attack" - Yudasin vs Kramnik
    10:51

  • Hanging pawns Intro
    03:57
  • "Simply win one of them - isolates the other!" - Korchnoi vs Geller
    12:25
  • "Fixing then attacking" Fischer vs Spassky WC 1972 Game 6
    11:44
  • "Fixing pawns, Hemming bishop in" - Steinitz vs Anderssen
    07:13
  • "Blockade then destroy and fragment others!" - Karpov vs Korchnoi
    08:56
  • "Attack them directly with goal of getting one to advance" - Petrosian vs Suetin
    09:29
  • "Restrain, Blockade, then Destroy" - Van der Sterren vs Ljubomir Ljubojevic
    08:24
  • "Transition to isolated c pawn" - Portisch vs Tal
    09:08
  • "Turn attention to pins and tactics around King" - Portisch vs Gulko
    09:56
  • "Knife on f5 near King" - Smirnov vs Khismatullin
    09:15
  • "Fixing then targeting d5 - endgame transition" - Lev Polugaevsky vs Mikhail Tal
    09:16

  • Introduction to winning with Hanging Pawns
    02:30
  • "Self-fixing with ... c4 but passed pawn creating" - Bernstein vs Capablanca
    09:44
  • "Self-fixing with ...c4 then b-file pressure" - Mario Bertok vs Bobby Fischer
    08:57
  • "Liberational for bishop and Queen battery and Nf4" - Topalov vs Kasparov
    09:36
  • "Bishop liberating tool for crushing K-attack!" - Nimzovich vs Tarrasch 1914
    11:15
  • "Brutal K-attack after d4 break" - Spassky vs Tal 1979
    10:50
  • "Collect Dark square bishop, Exploit Q position" - Korchnoi vs Karpov 1981
    09:28
  • "Collect Dark square bishop and attack on h-file" - Sargissian vs Halkias
    08:52
  • "Improving on Fischer-Spassky Game 6 1972" - Tarjan vs Christiansen
    11:01
  • "Nimzo - light square grip after c4" - Nakamura vs Gelfand
    07:48
  • (Tips also for finding own examples!) "Bishop cross-fire" - Alisher vs Zhigalko
    07:46

  • Doubled pawns Introduction
    02:17
  • "Transforming to Knight outpost" - Lasker vs Capablanca
    08:59
  • "Transforming to huge knights" - Mattison vs Nimzovich 1929
    11:08
  • "No counterplay whatsoever policy" - Mannheimer vs Nimzovich 1930
    13:32
  • "No counterplay and K-attack" - Johner vs Nimzovich 1926
    10:36
  • "Get own pawns doubled -Qg6 and e4 pressure" - Spassky vs Fischer 1972 W Game 5
    07:35
  • "Pawn majority on K-side" - Bobby Fischer vs Wolfgang Unzicker - bxc6 Ruy Lopez
    10:19
  • "Eroding K-safety when K is behind them" - Bobby Fischer vs Svetozar Gligoric
    07:37
  • "c4 torture then create outside passed pawn" - Rukavina vs Anatoly Karpov
    11:14
  • "Dark square and Structural tradeoff masterpiece" - Adams vs Kramnik
    12:17
  • "Turn into an Opposite side castling race" - Vishy Anand vs Nigel Short
    09:04

  • Introduction to winning with doubled pawns
    03:05
  • "Controlling key central squares and better mior piece" - Botvinnik vs Sorokin
    06:07
  • "Central square control and bishop liberation" - Botvinnik vs Panov 1939
    08:59
  • "Piece pressure and K in center" - Botvinnik vs Levenfish
    06:12
  • "The power of the bishop pair as tradeoff" - Mukhitdinov vs Nezhmetdinov
    06:00
  • "Light squared bishop without counterpart" - Verlinsky vs Alekhine
    10:28
  • "g-file attack" - Bhend vs Hort (major exponent of Bronstein caro-kann)
    08:02
  • "g-file and Dark squared bishop" - Polgar vs Morozevich - flattening sandcastles
    12:55
  • "Thorn pawn and K-attack" - Isolated Doubled pawns - Leela vs Stockfish 2019
    13:41
  • "Maximising the dynamic compensation" - Timman vs Karpov 1979
    08:00
  • "A brilliant opening with black vs 1.e4" - Grischuk vs Kramnik
    11:23

  • Passed pawns introduction
    06:57
  • A central passed pawn immortal game Example #1 - Larsen vs Spassky
    10:34
  • Connected Passed pawns Example #2
    10:20
  • Connected passed pawns Example #3
    05:04
  • Handling Connected Passed pawns
    09:36
  • Connected Passed pawns Example #2 - Stockfish 9 vs lc0-pr59
    14:30
  • Outside passed pawns - Mamedyarov vs Wang Yue Example #1
    12:34

Instructor

Tryfon Gavriel
FIDE Chess Candidate Master
Tryfon Gavriel
  • 4.5 Instructor Rating
  • 575 Reviews
  • 2,885 Students
  • 7 Courses

Tryfon Gavriel, also known as "Kingscrusher" on the Internet. I am a FIDE Candidate Master (CM), British Regional Chess Master, and run a popular Youtube channel for many years with over 100k+ Subs as of 2020 and a Silver Button Award.

I also do shows on commercial chess servers. I am also the Webmaster of the correspondence style chess server Chessworld.


Playing experience

Over 35 years of playing activity both online and offline. Peak ICC blitz rating of 2625 (18-Jun-1999). Peak ICC 5 min autopairing of 2383 (29-Jun 2012). ECF Grading peak classical: 212 (A) ECF. Peak Rapid rating: 217 (C). Lichess marathon top 10 finisher in 3 marathons so far. In the other two, top 50 finisher. Won quite a few tournaments at lichess

One of my earliest Over-the-board achievements in Chess was winning the Lloyds Under 18 national UK tournament in 1989. My trophy was awarded to me by Grandmaster and PHD Mathematician Dr John Nunn.

Teaching experience

Currently doing shows on 3 commercial servers on a weekly basis and have several Lichess students on a regular basis.

Other experiences

Played twice in main British Chess championship. Many of my Youtube viewers claim big rating increases after watching my videos.

Best skills

I will try and give you greater enthusiasm for the game and in particular the dynamic aggressive aspects of playing chess. My favourite heros are Fischer, Kasparov and Tal. if you want to be a dynamic aggressive player, I may be able to encourage you and find you relevant resources on that path.

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