In the 18th century, the chess master François-André Danican Philidor wrote:

“…to play the pawns well; they are the soul of chess: it is they which uniquely determine the attack and the defence, and on their good or bad arrangement depends entirely the winning or losing of the game.”

It sounds impressive, but what did Philidor mean?

Why should pawns be considered the soul of chess, and why does their arrangement matter so much?

Why pawns are important in chess

Individually, pawns are weaker than the pieces. Together, however, all eight pawns are worth almost as much as a queen in material value.

More importantly, the arrangement of the pawns has a major effect on how the game develops. It influences:

• How freely the pieces can move
• Which squares are weak
• Which pawns can become targets

Diagram: Imagine removing all the pieces from the board and leaving only the pawns. What remains is the pawn structure.

At the beginning of a game, eight of your sixteen units are pawns. The structure they form will have a major influence on the plans and possibilities available to both sides.

Three reasons pawns are important

1. Pawns affect the mobility of the pieces
2. The pawn structure determines where the weak squares are
3. Weak pawns become important targets

Let us look at each point more closely.

1. Pawns affect the mobility of the pieces

The pawn structure has a major effect on how easily the pieces can develop and move around the board:

• Pieces cannot move through pawns that block them, although knights can jump over them.
• Pawns control squares that enemy pieces cannot safely occupy.

Diagram: Notice how strongly the movement of the bishop on d7 is affected by the white pawns. Similarly, the white knight is restricted by the black pawns.

In this type of position, a knight may be more useful because its movement is less restricted. For example, the route Nf3–d4 could place the knight on an active square from which it controls e6 and c6.

A single pawn may not be very powerful, but a group of pawns can control many important squares and prevent enemy pieces from entering their territory.

2. The pawn structure determines where the weak squares are

A weak square is usually a square on the 5th or 6th rank that can no longer be defended by a pawn. Such a square can often be occupied by an enemy piece without being chased away by a pawn.

Weak squares are especially important when they are near the centre or deep inside enemy territory. They can provide excellent squares for knights, bishops, rooks or queens.

Diagram: There are several weak squares on the 5th and 6th rank of both sides. White’s pieces are better positioned to take advantage of it though.

Because pawns cannot move backwards, the weaknesses created by a pawn move are often permanent.

3. Weak pawns become important targets

When a pawn structure becomes fragmented, some pawns may lose the support of the pawns around them.

Pawns cannot move backwards or sideways, so they depend heavily on support from other pawns and pieces. A weak pawn is generally one that cannot be defended by another pawn and may therefore require protection from a piece.

Diagram: In this position, after white plays Ne5, Black must use the knight to defend the c6-pawn. This is not ideal for them.

Pieces are usually more useful when they are active rather than tied down to the defence of a pawn. Ideally, your pawns should support one another. When they cannot, they may become long-term targets.

In this sense, the natural limitations of pawns are part of what makes them so strategically important.

Common types of pawn formations

To understand pawn structures more clearly, you should become familiar with these common formations:

1. Pawn islands
2. Isolated pawns
3. Backward pawns
4. Pawn chains
5. Pawn phalanxes
6. Passed pawns

1. Pawn islands

At the beginning of a game, all the pawns on each side are connected. As pawns advance and exchanges take place, they may become separated.

Each group of connected pawns that is separated from the others is called a pawn island.

Diagram: White has two pawn islands. Black has three pawn islands.

The more pawn islands you have, the more separate groups of pawns you may need to defend. Therefore, having more pawn islands often indicates a weaker pawn structure.

2. Isolated pawns

An isolated pawn is a pawn with no friendly pawns on either adjacent file.

Diagram: An isolated pawn is often easy to attack because nearby pawns cannot help defend it or the square directly in front of it.

Because no other pawn can defend it, an isolated pawn may become a target. The square directly in front of it can also become a useful square for an enemy piece.

However, an isolated pawn is not always a serious weakness. In the middlegame, it may provide open files, active piece play and additional space. It usually becomes more vulnerable as pieces are exchanged and the game approaches the endgame.

3. Backward pawns

A backward pawn is a pawn that has fallen behind the neighbouring pawns and cannot advance safely without being captured.

It is often located on a semi-open file, which makes it vulnerable to attacks from rooks and other pieces. A backward pawn can therefore become a significant long-term weakness.

Diagram: The d6-pawn cannot advance safely because White controls the square directly in front of it.

The square in front of a backward pawn is often an excellent place for an enemy piece because the pawn cannot chase it away.

4. Pawn chains

A pawn chain consists of pawns that protect one another diagonally.

Diagram: Example of pawn chains.

Pawn chains are often strong defensive structures because each pawn supports the pawn in front of it. However, the base of the chain may become a target because it is not protected by another pawn in the chain.

A pawn chain also controls squares of only one colour. Your pieces must therefore help control the squares of the opposite colour. A bishop that moves on the same colour as the pawns may also become restricted by its own pawn chain.

5. Pawn phalanxes

A pawn phalanx consists of two or more pawns standing alongside one another.

Diagram: Example of an e- and f-pawn phalanx.

A phalanx can be useful in an attack because the pawns control several squares in front of them. One pawn can advance while the other prepares to support it.

However, pawns standing side by side do not currently defend one another. They may therefore require support from the pieces.

When two adjacent pawns are isolated from the rest of the pawn structure, they are often called hanging pawns.

6. Passed pawns

A passed pawn has no enemy pawns in front of it on its own file or either adjacent file.

This means that an enemy pawn cannot stop it from reaching the other side of the board. Your opponent may therefore need to use a piece or the king to prevent it from promoting.

A passed pawn can be extremely valuable because it may tie an enemy piece down to a defensive task.

Diagram: The black king must keep an eye on the white passed pawn on b5. Thus it cannot leave the queenside. This allows the white king to approach and capture Black’s remaining pawns on the king-side.

Two useful principles for playing with pawns

You now understand why pawns are called the soul of chess and how different pawn structures affect the game.

Keep these two principles in mind:

1. Remember that pawn moves have lasting consequences.
   Pawns cannot move backwards, so consider how a pawn move will affect the mobility of your, and your opponent’s pieces..
2. Try to keep your pawns supporting one another.
   Pawns that cannot be defended by other pawns may force your valuable pieces to take on passive defensive roles.

Pawns may be the least valuable units on the board, but the structures they form determine where the pieces can move, which squares become weak, and where both sides should focus their play. That is why pawns are called the soul of chess.