Everything You Need to Know About Pawn Breaks

These two courses will consolidate the lessons in this video:

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00:00 Position 1
03:08 Position 2
05:35 Position 3
09:24 Position 4
11:55 Position 5
14:27 Position 6
18:34 Position 7
21:26 Position 8
24:49 Position 9
29:07 Homework Position

This video provides an extensive strategic overview of pawn breaks. We discuss all major functions of pawn breaks by solving instructive examples. Pawn breaks can serve multiple functions: they can activate our pieces, allow us to fight in cramped positions, help us create weaknesses, create attacks against the enemy king, and help determine our piece placement in the middlegame. Pawn breaks provide us with plans in the middlegame, enabling us to place our pieces to support those pawn breaks.

However, blindly pursuing pawn breaks is also misguided, as demonstrated in this video. We examine several examples where the pawn break benefits the enemy pieces more than ours. By analyzing these counterexamples, we can gain a deeper understanding of this concept and successfully apply it to our games. Otherwise, we risk mere rote memorization. As always, we pose the "Why?" question in this video to encourage deep engagement, hopefully leading to conceptual understanding. Only by truly answering the "why" question can you flexibly transfer this knowledge to your games.

To truly master pawn breaks, you need to solve challenging exercises. My Chessable courses provide you with that opportunity, so please check them out. I eagerly await your feedback! Please don't hesitate to write to me on Youtube, explaining your reasoning behind the homework positions. Explaining a concept is one of the best ways to solidify recently learned material, so please take advantage of this opportunity by leaving a comment!

[hiwibaba]

Let's face it guys,
This is the most psychologically healthy chess player on the planet today! Thank you Dr Can for finding all the top topics that us intermediates struggle with and addressing them. We all admire your work!

[bxnxjmin]

i am new to chess and i’ve been stuck at 400-500 elo for so long. I’ve watched your videos for about 3 days and i have gained almost +300 rating points. Sitting around 700 now and climbing fast. No one taught me chess so learning these deeper concepts is extremely helpful. Gonna purchase one of your courses this weekend👍🏼

[Lukas_E.]

Great video, your position examples are among the most instructive on YouTube.

[KF]

Another great video. For the homework position, this is a bad idea to play f4 for multiple reasons. Black will gain the e5 square and sit like a sumo wrestler on white by controlling the center. Further, it may result in white having to trade their dark bishop for the sidewall knight. No good. White would be left with an unhappy light bishop and a weak, backward and blockaded pawn on e4. A better plan is to use the open c file, which white can control.

[splenzid]

you have the best chess lessons on YOUTUBE...very clear and well explained. hands down!!!

[easybrynjar]

Thank you for such phenomenal content. I look forward to each one because it is the perfect length for me to watch on my lunch break.

[altonbrek]

Love your training videos. I have now identified some key weaknesses in my games. Excellent! 😊

[jonnyjansson]

Thank you for another great video! Todays topic was much harder than usual. Looking at the homework position: I see that White has more space in the centre and more pieces on the queen side. Material is equal, but White has the bishop pair. Black's dark square complex is weak on the queen side and the c-file is open. This together with the fact that the pawn chain points towards the queen side for White, suggests that White should play on the queen side. Therefore, I think 1.f4 is not a good move on strategical grounds. After 1..exf4 2.Bxf4 Nxf4 3.Qxf4 Bg5, Black has total control over the dark squares on the king side and the black knight on d7 has awaken with the prospect of a beautiful outpost on e5. Here, I think, Black is much better and maybe already winning. In the starting position, I prefer 1.Qc3 with the idéas of 2.Na5 and 3.Rc1. The white knight has a nice potential outpost square on c6 and a white rook on c7 will be devastating after a queen trade.

[RAFAELSILVA-bydy]

Re the f4 pawn break: White should look to play on the Q-side and defend on the K-side. Trading the dark-square Bishop for Knight doesn't look good. And it gives Black an outpost on e5, which the Knight can occupy immediately, defending f7. White gets pressure on the f-file, but I'm not sure that can be exploited fully.

[GaryWalters-tklp]

Another great video, you really are helping my game and understanding, I don't always get everything correct but I'm seeing so much more now, thank you, looking forward to the next episode 👍👍👍

[Malcolm.Y]

This lesson feeds right into my weakness. Thanks. Pawn breaks is a good device to approach the subject of middle game planning. I'll be checking you channels for more.

[dererzherzog]

"You need to talk to your pieces" What a beautiful chess principle!

[fathimahjk]

Of course one of the best chess lesson which I've seen on Utube and anywhere so far..Thx..

[bernie]

VERY good and VERY informative video. Just followed you at chessable. I honestly feel you just made my game better in about 11 minutes. I am, of course, aware of pawn breaks but I rarely really look at them this clinically and rationally. I will from now on.

[gulabrathod]

Pawn f4 is the right move. It opens up the f file and also helps Nc3 a good square in the centre.

[manuelfuentes]

I think you're one of the best! If not THE BEST YouTubers!!! 🎉
Tak so mycket 😊 🙏, grazie, ty!!!

[briandwi]

Great lesson. I have put one of your courses on my Chessable wishlist!

[anthonyjaglal]

Great video 👏💯 gives clarity of purpose of pawn breaks👍 sometimes pawn breaks come about as a move of desperation, without having meaningful purpose, just something ppl do when they run out of ideas🎉

[MrMDESTINY]

Pawn breaks are so over looked. Thank you for all this great info! :)

[PaddyMacDaddy]

I subbed as you clearly explain the why's and the why not's.