Double pawn (chess)

Double pawn is a term from chess . It means that two pawns from the same party are on the same line. This situation can only come about when a pawn has hit a stone on this line.

If there are no pawns from the same party on the lines adjacent to the double pawn, one speaks of isolated double pawns . If another pawn gets on the corresponding line, this is called a triple pawn .

Double pawns usually suffer from a certain weakness because they hinder each other as they advance. The isolated double pawns in particular can easily be attacked and conquered in the endgame , as they cannot be covered by pawns. On the other hand, double pawns, if they stay in their position, can also be strong by controlling certain squares. That is why they are also called dynamically weak and statically strong ( Aaron Nimzowitsch ).

Hans Kmoch made a further distinction between real and fake double pawns. In the case of a fake double pawn, the opponent cannot prevent his decoupling, while with a real doubles pawn there is no guarantee of decoupling.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Typical pawn structure in the Spanish game. Black has just captured with dxc6 and thus received a double pawn.

The assessment of whether a double pawn is strong or weak cannot be answered across the board. In today's chess practice, masters allow double pawns to arise in all possible positions, as they often know through experience that the weaknesses of the pawns cannot be exploited by the opponent in these cases. Often they also consciously accept the weakness of the double pawn in order to buy another strategic advantage.

So in many opening systems double pawns are allowed in order to receive certain concessions from the opponent in return. Typical openings in this regard are, for example, the Nimzowitsch-Indian defense , the Winawer variant of the French defense and the exchange variant of the Spanish game . In all three examples a player exchanges a bishop for a knight. The other strikes back with a pawn and thus receives a double pawn. This player then has the pair of bishops to compensate for the alleged weakness of the double pawn , as well as occasional open lines and diagonals (see diagram): In addition to the pair of bishops, Black gets the opening of an important line and an important diagonal as compensation. Since the pawn formation a6 – b7 – c7 – c6 is considered to be very robust, the double pawn on the c-file in this position is - if at all - a rather minor strategic disadvantage.

Asymmetries like these, which arise from the formation of double pawns, can ensure that an interesting strategic battle arises in the middle game .

Examples

Swidler – Kramnik
Moscow 2005

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Position after 17. g2xf3

The example diagram shows a position from the game Swidler against Kramnik , played in the Russian Championship 2005. Swidler has a doubles pawn on the c-file and an isolated doubles pawn on the f-file. Swidler's last move, 17. g2xf3, is remarkable, with which he voluntarily allowed the weakening of his pawn structure (the white-squared bishops were exchanged with 16.… Bb7xf3), especially since he could have taken h2 back to f3 with his knight. The special characteristics of this position with heterogeneous, i.e. opposing castling favors this decision. White opens the g-file for the rook on d1 and plans an attack on the black king with the further moves Rd1 – g1, h5 – h6 and Nh2 – g4. The double pawns played a subordinate role in the further course and Swidler won the game in the final as a result of the pressure game on the kingside .

An exploitation of the opposing double pawn in the endgame is shown in the game Cohn-Rubinstein , played in St. Petersburg, 1909.

Web links

• The game Swidler – Kramnik to replay (Java applet)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jean Dufresne and Johannes Hermann Zukertort : Large chess manual. A complete and easy to understand lesson in the game of chess . Second, increased and improved edition, Gustedt, Berlin 1877, p. 30.