Chess pawn structure
What Is a Pawn Chain in Chess?
A pawn chain is a diagonal line of two or more pawns of the same color, each protecting the one in front of it. The rearmost pawn is the base of the chain, and it is the one pawn in the chain that no other pawn defends.
Example
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3
In the French Advance White's chain is d4 and e5, and Black's is e6 and d5. Black attacks the base of White's chain at once with ...c5, and White supports d4 with c3 and Nf3.
Attack the base of the chain
The base is the weak link, because no pawn protects it. If you remove the base, the pawn that stood on it loses its support. In the French, Black's ...c5 hits the d4 base and ...f6 hits the e5 head of the chain.
This idea was described by Aron Nimzowitsch, and it is still the main way to think about closed pawn chains.
Which way to play
A pawn chain points toward one side of the board, and each side usually attacks on the side its chain points to. In the King's Indian, where White has pawns on d5 and e4 and Black has pawns on d6 and e5, White usually plays on the queenside with c5, while Black attacks on the kingside with ...f5.
The pawn chain also tells you which bishop is good and which is bad, because pawns locked on one color block the bishop of that color.
Space and timing
The side whose chain reaches further up the board usually has more space, and more room for its pieces behind the pawns. The other side needs a pawn break to avoid getting squeezed. Because the center is closed, these positions are often races: each side pushes its breaks on its own wing.
Common questions
What is the base of a pawn chain?
The rearmost pawn of the chain. It is the only pawn in the chain not defended by another pawn, which makes it the natural target.
Which openings have pawn chains?
The French Defense, the King's Indian Defense, the Caro-Kann Advance, and many lines of the Benoni and Dutch all feature locked pawn chains.
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