Pawn Structure Chess [Paperback]

Andrew Soltis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 1995 | Series: Chess

Some 250 years ago, the great Philidor wrote, "The pawns are the soul of chess." Although that statement is perhaps the most common cliche in the literature of the game, it is too often misunderstood.

Pawns are usually considered weak because of their limited range of movement. But the pawns' restricted mobility is precisely what makes them so important strategically: they form a semi-permanent structure -- often called a "pawn skeleton" -- that establishes the territorial lines of the coming battle and thus the nature of the battle itself. Understanding how pawns affect strategy is the subject of this important book. In it you will learn:
-- how to handle the characteristic pawn structure of each opening "family" and each major variation
-- how to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of pawn chains
-- when to exchange pawns in the center -- and when not to
-- how to cramp your opponent's position and what to do if your opponent cramps yours
-- how to create and exploit pawn "holes"...and much, much more, all copiously illustrated by complete games from actual play.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Some 250 years ago, the great Philidor wrote, "The pawns are the soul of chess." Although that statement is perhaps the most common cliche in the literature of the game, it is too often misunderstood.

Pawns are usually considered weak because of their limited range of movement. But the pawns' restricted mobility is precisely what makes them so important strategically: they form a semi-permanent structure -- often called a "pawn skeleton" -- that establishes the territorial lines of the coming battle and thus the nature of the battle itself. Understanding how pawns affect strategy is the subject of this important book. In it you will learn:
-- how to handle the characteristic pawn structure of each opening "family" and each major variation
-- how to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of pawn chains
-- when to exchange pawns in the center -- and when not to
-- how to cramp your opponent's position and what to do if your opponent cramps yours
-- how to create and exploit pawn "holes"...and much, much more, all copiously illustrated by complete games from actual play.

About the Author

Andrew Soltis is a grandmaster and a chess columnist for New York Post and Chess Life. In 1988, he was named chess journalist of the year by the Chess Journalists of America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Random House Puzzles & Games; First edition (November 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812925297
• ISBN-13: 978-0812925296
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Chess

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 164 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How "P.S.C." helped me, November 28, 1999

By 

A.J. Goldsby I "A.J.G." (Pensacola, FL (U.S.A.)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pawn Structure Chess (Paperback)

I am currently a USCF Life-Master. I have won more than 100 rated tournaments. My personal chess library is over 1,200 books.

When I was studying to become a Master, it was a tremendous eye-opener to me to discover that there are not more than around 15 basic pawn structures.

GrandMaster Andy Soltis (who has played me and beaten me twice in over-the-board encounters) lays out logically, all the basic different pawn structures. He shows that there might be dozens of different move orders to reach a certain structure, but once you get there-- there are only a limited number of plans that work within the given pawn structure.

He logically and sensibly lays out these different plans. He shows many practical examples of how each plan may have worked in real, OTB play; usually in the games of a well-known GM. The examples are very poignant. His advice is easy, sensible, logical, and readily assimilated. It does not matter if you are a Master, or just a Novice who wishes to improve ... this is a book for you.

Credit this one book for turning a humble expert into a Master who has tied for first in four different State Championships. Easily belongs in my list of, "The Ten Best Instructional Books Ever Written! "

92 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps alot when learning the openings, July 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pawn Structure Chess (Paperback)

I hate learning openings. This book has actually helped me learn the ideas behind the openings in a rather painless way. How can that be you may ask, since this is a book about the middlegame based on various pawn structures. Well, the reason is that you cannot really differentiate easily between an opening a middlegame and an endgame. They are all part of a seemless whole. Various openings lead to certain pawn structures which dictate certain middlegame plans for both sides. If you understand what the idea behing the middlegame plan is, then you understand the moves you need to make in the opening which makes memorization of variations easier. It also allows you to play the right move once your opponent goes "out of book" because you have a better understanding of what position the particular opening is trying to accomplish.

I'll give an example of how the book has helped me. About a month ago I decided to learn the Caro-Kann as black (mostly to cut down on the amount of theory I need to know against e4). So what I did was look through the various line of the Caro-Kann in the MCO and see what the final pawn structures looked like. As it turns out, there are only about 5 pawn structures that are likely to develop. They are the: Caro-Slav formation; Kingside pawn chain; the panov formation; isolani; and the orthodox exchange center. Each of these pawn formations are discussed in pawn structure chess (the first three each have their own chapter and the last two are both found in the chapter on the QGD and its descendants). After studying the general strategic ideas for both black and white arrising from each of these pawn formations, I went back and looked at the variations again. All of a sudden the ideas behind the opening made sense and the moves of the variations seemed logical because I knew what the purpose behind the move was (As Silman says, the real purpose behind the opening is to create an imbalance and then develop around that imbalance).

The effects of this book have helped me in the first game I played as black in the Caro. My opponent (rated over 100 pts higher than me) played a variation of the Caro that I wasn't familiar with. We both went "out of book" fairly early. However, I kept in mind what the middle game pawn structure was that I was aiming for and where my pieces needed to be to accomplish that goal. Well my first outing as black in the Caro was a success. The allegedly "dull" or "boring" Caro notched a 20-move win for me -- not bad.

This book has also helped me see the similarities between various openings and how one opening can transpose into another. This is critical information to have at your disposal. The book does not exhaustively treat any particular pawn structure, however that is not its intent. The idea is to familiarize the reader with the structures themselves, the openings that they are most likely to arise from and the strategic ideas for both sides. Certainly entire books have been written on the isolated pawn. But this book is a great starting point to give an overview buttressed with a few examples of each strategy either succeeding or failing.

All-in-all this is an excellent book. I really do not understand some of the criticisms I've read about it. The book is not supposed to be about pawn play so there is no comparison between it and "pawn power" because each book attempts to cover a different idea. Moreover, the fact that some of the examples are one-sided does not bother me because the idea was to show how a strategy is carried out in its pure form. The lack of depth of treatment of each structure is also the book's strength. The idea is to give an overview, not an exhaustive treatment since such a treatment could conceivably cover an entire book or more for each chapter (or subchapter) in the book. If you are serious about improving your understanding of how to conduct a middlegame and how that middlegame is tied to the opening due to pawn structure then this is the book for you.

138 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pawn structure and long term planning!, September 18, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Pawn Structure Chess (Paperback)

I did hear that saying that, "pawns are the sole of chess", and "chess structure is the backbone of your position". Mr. Soltis shows you the importance of planning ahead and having the right pawn structure, or making your opponent have the wrong one - especially looking toward an endgame. Now this not a book for a beginner, who should be learning basic tactics, traps, ideas behind opening moves and basic endgames. This is a book for someone past that stage that needs to learn the more advanced idea of recognizing how to use pawns and the importance of planning ahead keeping the the pawns (the little people!!) in mind! Don't forget the "little people" would be a funny but true statement.