A Pawn is called isolated if there are no Pawns of the same player on the adjoining files. A player must then devote one or more pieces to its protection; deflecting your opponent's pieces from attack to defence clearly strengthens your position.

On Saturday 30th July, Ray discussed how to exploit such situations both for Black and White. In the first part of the session, Ray discussed some of the principles involved using an idealised position. The afternoon session illustrated many of these points by following through several master games.

Principles

Common advice is to avoid Isolated Pawns because they are so inherently week. However, there are times when an Isolated Queen's Pawn arises naturally from many 1.d4 openings and they can afford opportunity for claiming advantage for either side. Know when the advantage is in your favour - generally, avoid an IQP unless you have a clear advantage in development. Assess:

• how easy the piece is to attack or defend
• how the pawn formation is dictating play.
  

While pawns, unlike pieces, cannot retreat - small changes in pawn formation can radically affect the focus of a game from Queen-side to King-side or lead to positions which favour your personal style of play.

Exploiting an IQP as Black

An IQP is a target for Black and while not necessarily a game winner in itself, if a single weakness can be exploited sapping the energy of your opponent, this may be enough to launch the real attack. Tactical devices for exploiting an IQP are:

1. simplify with exchanges - reduces threats
2. stop the pawn advancing; control the square immediately in front of it
3. attack it - distract White into defence while you prepare an attack elsewhere
4. destroy the IQP - with material or positional advantage

Of course, these are only general indicators.

Using an IQP to advantage as White

Bearing in mind what Black is trying to do to exploit a potential weakness, White has a few tactical devices of his own

1. advance the pawn to d5 opening the position and usually giving White more space; potentially dangerous as doing so might also destroy Whites position
2. depending on piece placement: lift a Rook to e3 and onto g3 or h3 or join both rooks on the e-file
3. launch a pawn f2 -> f4 -> f5 attack supported by Rook on f1
4. attack with Ne5
5. can also launch a Queen-side attack although usually more complex; but can also be a feint to commit Black Queen-side while your real attack comes down the King-side
6. sacrifice the pawn for development

Taking both aspects into consideration emphasises the importance of White needing a clear advantage in development before isolating his Queen pawn.

For more information on the subject Ray highly recommends GM Alexander Baburin's authoritive "Winning Pawn Structures" - an excellent though difficult and intense study of pawn structures. Most of the example games Ray illustrated his afternoon talk are detailed in the book.

Although Ray only started playing chess relatively late, after leaving school, he rapidly rose to prominence in Irish Chess claiming the Ulster Championship in 1972 and the Irish Championship in 1978