Answers.Body: <p>Two other great books include</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0486264866" rel="noreferrer">Pawn Power in Chess (the first of these classics) by Kmoch</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0713480092" rel="noreferrer">Winning Pawn Structures by Baburin</a></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>While these books are fantastic places to read about pawn play, they are <strong>hard</strong> to read if you're just getting started with pawn structures / strategy (where you usually will get overloaded with a ton of information without the kind of context that experienced players have to make sense of all the wonderful things that are said!)</p>
  
  <p>So you might want to get your feet wet with NM Dan Heisman's famous Novice Nook articles which include some very easy-to-read instructional pieces on pawn breaks / weaknesses and more importantly, how weak players misuse their pawns.</p>
  
  <p>Some key articles in this assortment include:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman20.pdf" rel="noreferrer">A Positional Primer</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman17.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Break Moves : Opening Lines to increase mobility</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman138.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Strategy based on Central Pawn Structure</a></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>For added fun, grab a friend and practice Michael Goeller's <a href="http://www.kenilworthchessclub.org/media/Pawn_Battle_Strategies.pdf" rel="noreferrer">Pawn Battle mini-game</a>. It teaches you some fairly rudimentary ideas about pawn breaks, breakthrough sacrifices and zugzwang.</p>
  
  <p>Another worthy pay-for resource are <a href="http://www.chess.com/" rel="noreferrer">chess.com's</a> chess mentor lessons and videos by some excellent GMs/FMs/IMs (especially IM Danny Rensch whose lectures on different pawn structures are very thorough and entertaining)</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-19T07:50:01.377Z
Answers.Text: Pawn battle game looks fun
Answers.UserDisplayName: user28823
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-16T20:58:58.590Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-01-16T22:32:12.280Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2014-01-16T22:32:12.280Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: shivsky
Answers.Body: <p>over 2 years too late to the party, but Axel Smith's 'Pump Up Your Rating' has a wonderful section dedicated to pawn levers. Such a great book!</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2019-02-27T14:08:38.627Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-02-27T14:08:38.627Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Owen Rees
Answers.Body: <p>Chess Structures – a Grandmaster Guide. Flores Rios, Mauricio (2015)</p>
  <p>See my comment in the answer citing Soltis, above by AlwaysLearningNewStuff.  I am not sure where is best, as this seems to be same level and purpose as the Soltis book cited, about Pawn structures that matter and can be seen in early phases of the game.</p>
  <p>While the other answer is more specifically on endgame problems, and explicitly named endgame positions (e.g Philidor, Lucena) not as abstracted pawn structures, as above.  Those are abstracting the rest of the material present on the position they are pointing to, as grouping the associated plans possible for all positions with similar pawn placements over whole board (left to experience, what similar might mean), which includes many placements for the other material types, not specified by the diagrams presented with the name of the structure.</p>
  <p>I do think, that once one self assess own difficulty with pawns, that even endgame with pawns, or mini-games with pawns can also serve as possible basis for generalization to positions with similar pawn relative placement as those studies in endgames, but with other material on board as well, as elements of planning to stitch with other plans or differentially evaluate them.  In that sense, endgame problems or study is not just about practical endgame winning.</p>
  <p>Once one accept the notion of generalization and position abstractions, as objective of learning, I think that it does not matter that much to attach a specific phase.  It might just be semantics. But I think that the mindset of calling it &quot;endgame&quot; pawn studies, might limit which endgame problems are worth studying, as they would have to be likely practical endgames, neglecting other problems that would stretch the learning of pawn mechanics that could generalize elsewhere.</p>
  
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Answers.LastEditDate: 2023-10-24T20:37:07.863Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: dbdb
Answers.Body: <p><em>Pawn Structure Chess</em> by <em>Andrew Soltis</em> is a good book for start.</p>
  
  <p>It teaches you how to play as Black <strong>and</strong> White in the following positions:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>French defense-Advance variation</li>
  <li>Caro-Kann pawn structure-including Panov attack</li>
  <li>Slav defense </li>
  <li>Open Sicilian defense and English opening</li>
  <li>Closed Sicilian defense and English opening</li>
  <li>King's Indian defense</li>
  <li>Dutch "Stonewall"</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>To this day I was not able to find a better book written for this topic-it is clearly written and covers <strong>most</strong> of the important pawn structures.</p>
  
  <p><strong>I would highly appreciate if other members can point out some other good books for this topic.</strong></p>
  
  <p>Give it a chance-I am <strong>100%</strong> certain that you will not regret it.</p>
  
  <p>Best regards.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-10-20T03:32:19.943Z
Answers.Text: Updating. per the same Wikipedia page that used Soltis as basis for its presentation, I found that it has change recently, augmenting the opening tree transversal view of which openings get to visit which Pawn structure.  
  A new reference added besides Soltis, is this book:
  Chess Structures – a Grandmaster Guide. Flores Rios, Mauricio (2015). 
  I would just add for the op, that those PSs are about middlegame plans (and those also tie to endgame plans consequences). They happen early in the game is my point, not endgame pawn battles.  I am also working on "my" pawns, but any phase.
Answers.UserDisplayName: dbdb
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-19T07:47:48.460Z
Answers.Text: Reading this book now. It is very informative.
Answers.UserDisplayName: user28823
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Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-19T13:24:41.440Z
Answers.Text: @user28823: I told you it is pure gold! I am so glad I have helped! Good luck! Best regards.
Answers.UserDisplayName: AlwaysLearningNewStuff
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-16T17:03:05.103Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-01-16T17:03:05.103Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: AlwaysLearningNewStuff
Body: <p>I am not a very strong positional player and I thought I could work on my pawn theory a bit. Are there common exercises or internet resources I could look into for how to play better pawn structures as well as make better pawn breaks?</p>
  
Tags: <pawns><pawn-structure>
Title: Pawn theory / exercises
ThreadText: # Pawn theory / exercises
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-01-16)
  
  I am not a very strong positional player and I thought I could work on my pawn theory a bit. Are there common exercises or internet resources I could look into for how to play better pawn structures as well as make better pawn breaks?
  
  **Tags:** pawns, pawn-structure
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2014-01-16. Score: 6 | Accepted answer
  
  *Pawn Structure Chess* by *Andrew Soltis* is a good book for start.
  
  It teaches you how to play as Black **and** White in the following positions:
  
  1. French defense-Advance variation
  2. Caro-Kann pawn structure-including Panov attack
  3. Slav defense
  4. Open Sicilian defense and English opening
  5. Closed Sicilian defense and English opening
  6. King's Indian defense
  7. Dutch "Stonewall"
  
  To this day I was not able to find a better book written for this topic-it is clearly written and covers **most** of the important pawn structures.
  
  **I would highly appreciate if other members can point out some other good books for this topic.**
  
  Give it a chance-I am **100%** certain that you will not regret it.
  
  Best regards.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Reading this book now. It is very informative.  
  > **username_4**: @username_0: I told you it is pure gold! I am so glad I have helped! Good luck! Best regards.  
  > **username_3**: Updating. per the same Wikipedia page that used Soltis as basis for its presentation, I found that it has change recently, augmenting the opening tree transversal view of which openings get to visit which Pawn structure.   A new reference added besides Soltis, is this book: Chess Structures – a Grandmaster Guide. Flores Rios, Mauricio (2015).  I would just add for the op, that those PSs are about middlegame plans (and those also tie to endgame plans consequences). They happen early in the game is my point, not endgame pawn battles.  I am also working on "my" pawns, but any phase.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2014-01-16. Score: 6
  
  Two other great books include
  
  * [Pawn Power in Chess (the first of these classics) by Kmoch](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0486264866)
  * [Winning Pawn Structures by Baburin](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0713480092)
  
  While these books are fantastic places to read about pawn play, they are **hard** to read if you're just getting started with pawn structures / strategy (where you usually will get overloaded with a ton of information without the kind of context that experienced players have to make sense of all the wonderful things that are said!)
  
  So you might want to get your feet wet with NM Dan Heisman's famous Novice Nook articles which include some very easy-to-read instructional pieces on pawn breaks / weaknesses and more importantly, how weak players misuse their pawns.
  
  Some key articles in this assortment include:
  
  * [A Positional Primer](http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman20.pdf)
  * [Break Moves : Opening Lines to increase mobility](http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman17.pdf)
  * [Strategy based on Central Pawn Structure](http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman138.pdf)
  
  For added fun, grab a friend and practice Michael Goeller's [Pawn Battle mini-game](http://www.kenilworthchessclub.org/media/Pawn_Battle_Strategies.pdf). It teaches you some fairly rudimentary ideas about pawn breaks, breakthrough sacrifices and zugzwang.
  
  Another worthy pay-for resource are [chess.com's](http://www.chess.com/) chess mentor lessons and videos by some excellent GMs/FMs/IMs (especially IM Danny Rensch whose lectures on different pawn structures are very thorough and entertaining)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Pawn battle game looks fun  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2019-02-27. Score: 2
  
  over 2 years too late to the party, but Axel Smith's 'Pump Up Your Rating' has a wonderful section dedicated to pawn levers. Such a great book!
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2023-10-20. Score: 1
  
  Chess Structures – a Grandmaster Guide. Flores Rios, Mauricio (2015)
  
  See my comment in the answer citing Soltis, above by username_4. I am not sure where is best, as this seems to be same level and purpose as the Soltis book cited, about Pawn structures that matter and can be seen in early phases of the game.
  
  While the other answer is more specifically on endgame problems, and explicitly named endgame positions (e.g Philidor, Lucena) not as abstracted pawn structures, as above. Those are abstracting the rest of the material present on the position they are pointing to, as grouping the associated plans possible for all positions with similar pawn placements over whole board (left to experience, what similar might mean), which includes many placements for the other material types, not specified by the diagrams presented with the name of the structure.
  
  I do think, that once one self assess own difficulty with pawns, that even endgame with pawns, or mini-games with pawns can also serve as possible basis for generalization to positions with similar pawn relative placement as those studies in endgames, but with other material on board as well, as elements of planning to stitch with other plans or differentially evaluate them. In that sense, endgame problems or study is not just about practical endgame winning.
  
  Once one accept the notion of generalization and position abstractions, as objective of learning, I think that it does not matter that much to attach a specific phase. It might just be semantics. But I think that the mindset of calling it "endgame" pawn studies, might limit which endgame problems are worth studying, as they would have to be likely practical endgames, neglecting other problems that would stretch the learning of pawn mechanics that could generalize elsewhere.
  
  
  ---
  
  