"Pawns are the soul of the game; they alone form the attack and defense" - Francois-Andre Danican
Hey you, if you are here on the third lesson of the Learning Chess Series, then I must commend your consistency, and slowly you will get to know how to play this prestigious game for smart minds. Do not forget to leave a comment or question if you need further assistance with whatever is bugging you. I am here for more tips on improving and how you may choose to get better. In the last lesson, we looked at The Chessboard and Chess Pieces, and here is the Article to the previous lesson. So we are going a step further in this article by looking at the pawns and all about them that you must know.
Ever wondered why access to a powerful person is most time difficult to get. Probably because of the heavy security personnel surrounding them, thereby making it difficult or, in some cases, impossible to reach them. Or is it your favorite celebrity covered with an armed bodyguard who looks dangerous and deadly if you cross their path? Funny enough, I remember a video clip I watched online when a crazy fan of the Nigerian pop star Davido jumped on stage in an attempt to hug Davido. Immediately, Davido's bodyguard grabbed the fan like a scary chicken and threw him off stage.
Well, in this case, that is what the pawns do for their master, the King, and their Highness, the Queen. The pawns are well regarded as the soul of chess, and it is quite simple when you think about it. Without the eight pawns arranged on the 2nd rank for white or the 7th rank for black, you will see that the chess officers (Rooks, Knights, Bishops, Queen, and King) are easily exposed and facing one another without anything covering the long-range attacks. At this point, it all boils down to who gets to play first, and sadly for black, that happens to be its opponent, white. Surely you see that the pawns have a strong role to play when playing chess, even though they carry the lowest value or point (1 point), their presence and absence are always felt.
The Movement of the pawn is quite simple. On its first ever move, that is, the first time you want to move that particular pawn since the game started, the pawn has the choice of moving two squares forward or one square forward. But, after that pawn's first move, it can only move one square forward until the end of the game. Be mindful when moving your pawns as they can only move forward and never backward, so take your time before you move your pawn, as it can be game-changing for you in a good way or a bad way if your opponent spots your bad move.
In addition, as every piece on the chessboard moves, so can they capture, and the chess rule is that white captures black and vice versa is the case. In this lesson, the pawn simply captures one step diagonally, that is, whatever opposing piece on the one diagonal square from where your pawn is, either on the left or on the right. Do not worry if this might be a bit complex when reading it. I have also attached a short and simple YouTube video explaining how to use the pawn moves from Howcast, and every other thing you need to know about the pawn.
And that is a wrap for this lesson on the pawns. See you in the next lesson. Do not forget to ask questions if you have any.
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Thanks For Reading!
