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Chess Strategy: Imbalances and Plans · Kapilash Chess Academy

Pawn Majorities and Passed Pawns

Creating a passed pawn and pushing it

In this lesson you will learn

  • What a pawn majority is
  • How to turn a majority into a passed pawn
  • The outside passed pawn
  • Centre majority against queenside majority

Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.

5.1 Majorities

When one side has more pawns on one wing, it has a majority there. A healthy majority can create a passed pawn — a pawn with no enemy pawn in front of it or on the neighbouring files. Passed pawns tie down enemy pieces and become decisive in the endgame.

Diagram 5.1White to move

Centre against queenside

After the queens left the board, White has a central majority (d4 and e4 against e7) and Black has a queenside majority (a7 and b7 against a2).

Both sides will try to use their majority: White by pushing d5 to create a passed pawn in the centre, Black by advancing the a- and b-pawns. ♖b1 first ties Black to the b7-pawn, so that the black queenside cannot advance freely.

5.2 How to Advance a Majority

  1. Push the pawn that has no opponent in front of it first (the “candidate” pawn).
  2. Advance the pawns together, so they protect each other.
  3. Support them with the king in the endgame and with rooks behind them.
  4. An outside passed pawn, far from the kings, is strongest: it pulls the enemy king away.

Remember

  1. A majority can create a passed pawn.
  2. Push the candidate pawn first and keep the pawns together.
  3. Rooks belong behind passed pawns.
  4. An outside passed pawn deflects the enemy king.

Exercises · Lesson 5

Every exercise has been checked with a chess engine. Find the best move or choose the right plan.

Solve these 9 exercises on the boardCreate a free account to check your moves, open hints and solutions, and save your progress.
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Exercise 5.1Find the move
Black to move

Black to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.2Find the move
Black to move

Black to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.3Find the move
White to move

White to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.4Find the move
Black to move

Black to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.5Find the move
Black to move

Black to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.6Find the move
White to move

White to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.7Find the move
White to move

White to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.8Find the move
Black to move

Black to move. Find the strongest move.

Exercise 5.9Find the move
Black to move

Black to move. Find the strongest move.