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Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such as isolated, doubled, or backward pawns and holes, once created, are usually permanent. Care must therefore be taken to avoid them (but there are exceptions—for instance see Boleslavsky hole below). In the absence of these structural weaknesses, it is not possible to assess a pawn formation as good or ...
In the endgame, isolated pawns are a weakness in pawn structure because they cannot be defended by other pawns as with connected pawns. In the diagram, the white pawn on e4 and the black pawn on a7 are isolated. Isolated pawns are weak for two reasons. First, the pieces attacking them usually have more flexibility than those defending them.
In the diagram, Black has an isolated pawn on d5. If all the pieces except the kings and pawns were removed, the weakness of that pawn might prove fatal to Black in the endgame. In the middlegame, however, Black has slightly more freedom of movement than White and may be able to trade off the isolated pawn before an endgame ensues.
The backward pawn also prevents its owner's rooks and queen on the same file from attacking the piece placed on the hole. If the backward pawn is on a half-open file, the disadvantage is even greater, as the pawn can be attacked more easily by an opponent's rook or queen on the file. Pieces can become weak when they are devoted to protecting a ...
Pawns can become doubled only when one pawn captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides. In the diagram, the white pawns on the b-file and e-file are doubled. The pawns on the e-file are doubled and isolated. In most cases, doubled pawns are considered a weakness due to their inability to defend each other.
Refers to a d-pawn with no pawns of the same color on the adjacent c-file and e-file, and is a synonym for isolated queen pawn. Aron Nimzowitsch, who coined the term, regarded the isolani as a weapon of attack in the middlegame but an endgame weakness; he saw the problem of hanging pawns as related. [218] See also
Prevention of pawn weaknesses: Most openings strive to avoid the creation of pawn weaknesses such as isolated, doubled and backward pawns, pawn islands, etc. Some openings sacrifice endgame considerations for a quick attack on the opponent's position. Some unbalanced openings for Black, in particular, make use of this idea, such as the Dutch ...
White's Stonewall pawn formation gives good control of the central dark squares (particularly e5, which may provide an outpost for a knight). The light squared weaknesses are covered by minor pieces (Bd3, Nd2). If permitted to do so, White may launch a direct kingside attack involving ideas such as Bxh7, Qh5 and Rf3-h3.