The Pawn

The pawn is the foot soldier in our army, so to speak. In a game with kings, queens and rooks, the pawn is simply a pawn called up to fight for its monarch.

There is a debate about whether the pawn in chess should symbolize those peasants who live outside castle walls, or whether they are brave soldiers who protect the royal court behind them.

Because even though the pawn is the weakest piece in chess, its power and importance should never be underestimated. In any case, they are the first line of defense against the opponent. In chess, it is the pawn that is allowed to move first before a full battle ensues.

Historically, the pawn actually represents soldiers, infantry or especially just armed pawns. In a few other languages, this figure derives from the Old French word paon, which originally comes from the Latin term for foot soldier and is related to peon. This word then gave rise to the English name for the figure - the pawn.

But let's not be deceived by the inconspicuousness of the pawn! The great 18th century chess player Andre Philidor once said, "The pawn is the soul of chess," and for good reason. The strategy of most chess games is largely determined by the placement of these humble fellows.

Every grandmaster knows that a single pawn can often mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Each player has eight pawns at the start of the game, which form a wall in front of the other chess pieces. As mentioned earlier, the pawn is considered the weakest piece in chess due to its limited ability to move and capture.

However, the pawn's importance increases in the course of a chess game, due to the option to transform into a stronger piece when reaching the opponent's initial row.

The pawn differs significantly from other chess pieces by a few peculiarities. For example, there are eight pawns, whereas every other piece is single or double.

They can also only move forward. Moves with this piece can therefore never be undone and permanently change the position.

Pawns also capture differently than they move. They can thus be blocked very easily. Impractically, a pawn cannot move when a piece is in front of it. Very stubborn, isn't it? It then cannot move until the piece is removed or an opportunity to capture is offered.

Some find it confusing that the pawn captures differently than it moves.

Fortunately, he is the only piece that does. Except for the initial move, where he can move either one or two squares straight.  

Overall, the pawn is a weak, inflexible, but also often underrated piece in chess. The next strongest piece is the knight, which has a few tricks up its sleeve.

‍