An isolated pawn or “isolani” is a pawn which has no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. Isolated pawns are usually thought of as a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns. Many textbook openings create at least one isolated pawn but are nevertheless accepted as orthodox because of the advantages they create. With an isolated pawn you can have improved development and associated opportunities for counter play that offsets or even outweighs the weaknesses associated with the pawn’s isolation.
An isolated pawn or “isolani” is a pawn that has no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. Isolated pawns are usually thought of as a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns. Many textbook openings create at least one isolated pawn but are nevertheless accepted as orthodox because of the advantages they create. With an isolated pawn, you can have improved development and associated opportunities for counter play that offsets or even outweighs the weaknesses associated with the pawn’s isolation.
Content: 136 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 4 lectures.
Includes: ECO: D27, D42
Recommended for: Beginner and Intermediate Players.
Users rated this series: 4.25 out of 5
Chess Fans have said: I haven’t watched the other two lectures in this series yet, but Paschall does his usual excellent job of balancing concrete variations and general ideas in this introduction to IQP games.
IM Bill Paschall currently resides in Budapest, Hungary. Bill was the Boylston Chess Club Champion 2002, finished 1st at the Foxwoods Open 2002, Two-Time New England Open Champion, and has defeated more than 20 IGM’s in tournament play. Bill has extensive experience training both adults and children privately and in the schools.
Outline
- Fundamentals of Isolated Queen Pawn Positions
Part I Opening: Queen’s Gambit Declined: Orthodox, Blackburne Defense
Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Milan Vidmar
Run Time: 00:34:52 - Part II Queen’s Gambit Declined: Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack Quiet Variation
Salo Flohr vs. Milan Vidmar
Run Time: 00:38:49 - Part III Queen’s Gambit Accepted: Classical
Boris Avrukh vs. Utut Adianto
Run Time: 00:39:40 - Isolated Queen Pawn Endgames: Part I
Queen’s Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav
Mikhail Botvinnik vs. Salo Flohr
Run Time 00:25:11
