Chess Patterns ❯ Types of Pawns ❯ Isolated Pawn

Isolated Pawn

In many positions, an Isolated Pawn can be a significant weakness because it is not supported by neighboring pawns, making it a target (as shown in the first diagram above). Additionally, the square in front of it can be easily occupied by enemy pieces.

In some positions, an Isolated Pawn can be advantageous because the open files on either side can allow the Rooks to become very active (as shown in the second diagram above). Additionally, it can control important key squares or advance to create serious threats.

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Master the Isolated Pawns

When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on Isolated Pawns. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this type of pawns.

A to Z about Isolated Pawns
A slow-paced, beginner-friendly video about Isolated Pawns by Remote Chess Academy. Ideal as a first introduction to the concept.

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4 Pawn Structures You Need To Know
If you are a beginner, have a look at this very nice video by Jesse February growing YouTube channel. In it, Jesse presents the Isolated Pawns in the wider context of other common Pawn Structures.

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Isolated Pawns: Playing With Them, and Without Them*
A concrete and highly instructive example on Chess.com by a former U.S. Women's Champion on how to play with and against Isolated Pawns.

WATCH ON CHESS.COM
How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition*
This is one of the most famous works by Jeremy Silman. Easy to read, entertaining, full of examples that detail the most important positional principles in chess, including isolated pawns. You'll love it.

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Evaluate Like a Grandmaster*
This recent work by Eugene Perelshteyn is unique. It contains roughly 200 exercises, similar to many workbooks. However, the focus here is not on calculation. The positions have to be "evaluated". Obviously, we think it’s a must-read.

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