Kingside pawn weakness

Kingside pawn weakness

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King of all Hills

Connecticut

Joined
02 Mar 05
Moves
38194
18 Dec 08
2 edits

I'm not positive but I believe that it is ideal to have your f, g, and h pawns at their starting positions for optimal defense after a kingside castle in the opening and midgame stages. So I have a couple of questions regarding kingside pawn weaknesses.

For the following, could you please highlight a)what the weakness of such a move is and b)how to correctly exploit that weakness, if any exist.

1. g pawn pushed to g3 for fianchetto
2. h pawn pushed to h3
3. f pawn pushed to f3 or f4

Thanks in advance fellow chess players.

cg

Seattle

Joined
30 Jan 06
Moves
26370
18 Dec 08

this wouldn't pertain to our little game now would it?😛

Seriously, all joking aside, in games where a pawn has been moved in front of the king, or in any sitation, the key to attack is to remove the defenders or to overwhelm them.

s
Slappy slap slap

Under your bed...

Joined
22 Oct 05
Moves
70042
18 Dec 08

When castled, moving the f pawn gives a straight shot to the king.

I will normally not break my castle defense unless my opponent's queen is off the table. After this, a surprise mate is less likely once the castle is broken.

Forum Vampire

Sidmouth, Uk

Joined
13 Nov 06
Moves
45871
18 Dec 08

Every pawn move weakens the squares it longer defends.

f pawn weakens e3/g3

g pawn weakens f3/h3

h pawn weakens g3

Forum Vampire

Sidmouth, Uk

Joined
13 Nov 06
Moves
45871
18 Dec 08

Originally posted by slappy115
When castled, moving the f pawn gives a straight shot to the king.

I will normally not break my castle defense unless my opponent's queen is off the table. After this, a surprise mate is less likely once the castle is broken.
Game 5752379

9. f4 gives an example of a weakening pawn move.

Game in progress so no comments on the current position.

t

Joined
17 Feb 08
Moves
6797
18 Dec 08

Originally posted by Diet Coke
Game 5752379

9. f4 gives an example of a weakening pawn move.

Game in progress so no comments on the current position.
except that comment.

Forum Vampire

Sidmouth, Uk

Joined
13 Nov 06
Moves
45871
18 Dec 08

?

i

Joined
26 Jun 06
Moves
59283
18 Dec 08

all the 1.e4 games (1st half of book) in irving chernevs classic logical chess move by move deal with premature pawn moves by the king. its a great book to understand those concepts.

e4

Joined
06 May 08
Moves
42492
18 Dec 08

Rec'd

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
18 Dec 08
1 edit

Originally posted by LordofADown
I'm not positive but I believe that it is ideal to have your f, g, and h pawns at their starting positions for optimal defense after a kingside castle in the opening and midgame stages. So I have a couple of questions regarding kingside pawn weaknesses.

For the following, could you please highlight a)what the weakness of such a move is and b)how to c ...[text shortened]... 2. h pawn pushed to h3
3. f pawn pushed to f3 or f4

Thanks in advance fellow chess players.
A cautionary note. You should not be so consumed with not making weaknesses that you fail to get play for yourself. Chess is a game of trade-offs; for example, playing f2-f4 may indeed weaken my Kingside, but it may also be a spearhead for an attack on the enemy King, and it influences a center square [e5], and gains space.

Pale Blue Dot

Joined
22 Jul 07
Moves
21637
18 Dec 08

Originally posted by LordofADown
I'm not positive but I believe that it is ideal to have your f, g, and h pawns at their starting positions for optimal defense after a kingside castle in the opening and midgame stages. So I have a couple of questions regarding kingside pawn weaknesses.

For the following, could you please highlight a)what the weakness of such a move is and b)how to c ...[text shortened]... 2. h pawn pushed to h3
3. f pawn pushed to f3 or f4

Thanks in advance fellow chess players.
1. g pawn - This creates a weakness at h3 and f3 [assuming the e pawn has moved] for a piece, with a view to exploiting the white square weaknesses around the king. One of the plans for the attacking side versus a fianchettoed castle position is to trade the bishops of that colour in order to leave a static weakness in the pawn structure around the king.

2. h pawn - This weakens the g and h file. The attacking side is often prepared to sacrifice a bishop for the h pawn in what is called a "Greek gift." If a heavy piece, such as the queen or rook, is on the g file then the g pawn may be pinned.

3. f pawn - This is probably the least weakening of the three pawn moves. The side pushing the f pawn usually prepares for this by moving the king into the corner where the possibility of a nasty check at some point in the future is avoided.

King of all Hills

Connecticut

Joined
02 Mar 05
Moves
38194
18 Dec 08

Awesome responses, thanks so much guys. I love these forums!!!