Chapter 12
Hanging pawns
‘Hanging pawns’ are two connected pawns on one rank that are not defended by other pawns. As Nimzowitsch explained, they share the characteristic of isolated pawns, namely that they are a dynamic strength and a static weakness: hanging pawns require constant defence, but can be exploited as a means of counterattack. The fight against such pawns often involves forcing the weaker of the two to advance, preventing its further advance, and then attacking the rearmost pawn.
In modern chess, hanging pawns are often not a cause of worry. By threatening to advance one of them, one can open lines and create real threats against the opponent’s position. The more pieces are on the board, the better the hanging pawns feel, because they cramp the activity of the opponent’s pieces. Even in the endgame, though, one should not underestimate the strength of the hanging pawns. In our day, entire opening systems are based around hanging pawns and the battle against them.
62 *
Wojciech Moranda
2568
Grzegorz Gajewski
2616
Warsaw ch-POL 2012 (6)
Similar positions frequently arise in the Queen’s Indian Defence, and the device used now by White is a typical one:
16.♘c4!
In this case, the knight jump leads to a gain of material, but sometimes it is played just with the intention of transferring the knight to a5 or e3, or to attack an enemy queen on b6, exploiting tactical motifs as the knight cannot be captured, because the d5-pawn is pinned along both file and diagonal.
16…a4 17.♘xb6 ♕xb6 18.♘xd5 ♘xd5 19.♗xd5 ♗xd5 20.♖xd5 axb3 21.axb3 ♕c6 22.♕c4
And White won.
63 **
Viktor Kortchnoi
2695
Anatoly Karpov
2700
Meran Wch match 1981 (1)
Black has the advantage of the two bishops and his pieces are actively placed, excellently supporting his pawn duo. Now, there follows a break, which crowns Black’s build-up:
24…d4! 25.♘e2
25.exd4 ♗c6! 26.♕c4 ♗xf3 27.gxf3 cxd4 28.♘a4 ♕b5 29.♕e2 ♖c7! 30.b3 ♕xb3 31.♕xa6 ♕xf3 also offers no hope of survival.
25…dxe3 26.fxe3 c4!
The white pawn islands on dark squares are indefensible.
27.♘ed4 ♕c7 28.♘h4 ♕e5 29.♔h1 ♔g8!
Black had many ways to win, but this prophylactic move, defending against a possible fork on f5, is the most technical.
30.♘df3 ♕xg3 31.♖xd8+ ♗xd8 32.♕b4 ♗e4 33.♗xe4 ♘xe4 34.♖d4 ♘f2+ 35.♔g1 ♘d3 36.♕b7 ♖b8 37.♕d7 ♗c7 38.♔h1 ♖xb2 39.♖xd3 cxd3 40.♕xd3 ♕d6 41.♕e4 ♕d1+ 42.♘g1 ♕d6 43.♘hf3 ♖b5
0-1
64 **
Lajos Portisch
2630
Tigran Petrosian
2620
Lone Pine 1978 (7)
Hanging pawns are good when they are supported by their own pieces, but in this position, the ♖a1 is ‘sleeping’, and the ♘d2 is under an X-ray attack along the d-file.
23…♘c5! 24.♘c4
Hit by a sudden blow, White does not find the inner strength to put up serious resistance, and he loses easily.
More tenacious was 24.d5, although here too, after 24…♖h6 25.♘f3 (on 25.e5, there follows the simple 25…♗f8, and the pawn on d5 is undefended) 25…♘d3 26.♖e2 ♘xb2 27.♖xb2 ♗c5+
analysis diagram
28.♔h1 (even fewer chances of saving the game are offered by 28.♔f1 g5 29.g4 ♖f6 30.♖b3 ♖f4 31.h3 ♖xe4 32.♘xg5 ♖e5 33.♘f3 ♖exd5) 28…f5, Black breaks up the white centre and wins a pawn.
Black also has a healthy extra pawn after 24.♖e2 ♘a4 25.d5 ♗c5+ 26.♔f1 ♖h6 27.♘b3 (bad is 27.♘f3 ♘xb2 28.♖xb2 g5) 27…♖xh2 28.♘xc5 ♘xc5, although here, the realisation involves some difficulties.
24…♘xe4 25.♖ac1 ♗f8 26.♘e5 ♘d6 27.a4 f6 28.♘f3 ♖xe1+ 29.♘xe1 ♖d7 30.♘f3 ♘f5 31.♔f2 h5 32.♖c2 g5 33.♖c4 ♗d6 34.g3 ♔f7 35.♘g1 ♘e7 36.♘e2 ♘d5 37.♗c1 ♔e6 38.♖c2 ♔f5 39.♔f3 g4+ 40.♔f2 ♖h7 41.♖d2 h4 42.♔g2 ♔e4 43.♖d1 ♘e3+ 44.♗xe3 ♔xe3 45.♘c3 h3+
0-1
65 ***
Robert Fischer
Boris Spassky
Reykjavik Wch match1972 (6)
The black pieces are insufficiently active to support the hanging pawns, and White uses a tactical nuance to attack them:
18.♘d4!
The white knights joins the attack on the central squares.
18…♕f8
On 18…♘f6, there would follow 19.♘b3 ♘d7 (19…c4 20.♕xe7 ♖xe7 21.♘d4 gives White an excellent post for his knight) 20.♖c3, followed by ♖f1-c1 – defending c5 is not easy.
Black is prepared to defend the c5-pawn, but White finds a new target in his camp, and switches to an attack on the light squares.
19.♘xe6! fxe6 20.e4! d4?!
20…dxe4 would leave too many pawn islands in the black camp.
On 20…c4, there would follow 21.♕h3, with the idea of a blow against the light squares with b2-b3. It was essential to maintain the tension on the central light squares. Correct was 20…♘f6, after which White only has a minimal advantage. White also does best to maintain the tension with 21.♕e3 – taking the pawn is unfavourable, because after 21…♘xe4 22.♗d3, White regains the material, with positional pluses.
21.f4!
Black’s kingside, with its weakened light squares, is undefended, and White easily develops the initiative.
21…♕e7 22.e5! ♖b8 23.♗c4! ♔h8
On 23…♘b6, the simplest way to win is 24.♕b3.
24.♕h3 ♘f8 25.b3 a5 26.f5 exf5 27.♖xf5 ♘h7 28.♖cf1 ♕d8 29.♕g3 ♖e7 30.h4!
The ♘h7 loses its last hope of coming into the game, and Black has no counterplay at all.
30…♖bb7 31.e6 ♖bc7 32.♕e5 ♕e8 33.a4 ♕d8 34.♖1f2 ♕e8 35.♖2f3 ♕d8 36.♗d3 ♕e8 37.♕e4! ♘f6 38.♖xf6! gxf6 39.♖xf6 ♔g8 40.♗c4 ♔h8 41.♕f4
Black resigned.
Additional material
Bernstein-Capablanca, Moscow 1914
Spassky-Tal, Montreal 1979
Winants-Kasparov, Brussels 1987 – Black’s 19th move
Bertok-Fischer, Stockholm 1962 – Black’s 17th move
Geller-Bobotsov, Moscow 1968 – Black’s 18th move
Karpov-Kasparov, Moscow Wch (match/31) 1984