In one of my previous articles I described the problem of doubled, tripled, and more pawns. In most situations, these pawn structures are usually weak points, and a good player can build the strategy on exploiting them. However, every rule has an exception, and even doubled pawns can represent a strength under specific circumstances. Let me list the most typical ones:
- Open and half-open files: Many tactical ideas to attack the opponent’s king are based on opening the right files for rooks. Creating double pawns to achieve this goal can be the right way to coordinate our assault forces.
- Central pawns: As we know, to control the board center is one of the fundamental strategies of a winning player, and doubled pawns at the d-file or e-file can help protect more squares to ensure the central domination.
Example 1 – open a file
One of the openings to create doubled pawns early in the game is the Sämisch Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense.
Example 2 – build a center
At the risk of repeating myself, I will (again) present the most popular game on my YouTube channel, as it features multiple patterns, including the strong doubled pawns.