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Subject: Re: WHAT is the definition of a backward pawn?

Author: Bas Hamstra

Date: 11:00:22 12/24/02

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>A "backward" pawn is a pawn that can't advance without being captured by
>an enemy pawn, and it is not defendable by a friendly pawn.  The classic
>example is white pawns on d3 and e4 and a black pawn on e5.  The white pawn
>on d3 is backward.  Backward pawns are _generally_ on half-open files so that
>they can be attacked from the front by enemy rooks, which makes them even
>weaker.
>
>A backward pawn is really just a specific example of a weak pawn.  For
>example black has pawns at c5 and e5.  White has a pawn at d3 and e3.
>The white pawn can't advance as it would be attacked by two pawns and defended
>by one, and it would go lost unless white piles up enough pieces to make that
>pawn push doable, which would tie up pieces and give black a chance to start
>action somewhere else.

But suppose it can advance but it never ever can become pawn-defended? Wouldn't
that be a nice attack-object too? How essential is it that the pawn cannot move?
I am about to try that idea.

- - - - - - - -
- - - B - - - -
- - - W - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - W - - -
- - - - - - - -

The e-pawn is sort of dead. What's your opinion about this? Of course there are
exceptions, white can sack it's e-pawn at e6 to get a freepawn, if it gets far
enough. But the fact remains that the e-pawn is not ever pawn-defendable and
therefore weak.

>Ignore backward and catch the weak pawns instead, as that will include
>backward and a large group of other types of weak pawns that are not
>backward.

I already do that in Tao, but I am not satisfied about it's evaluation of
pawnstructures at the moment. Crafty does a better job here.

Best regards,
Bas.





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