What are the benefits of pawns?

Pawns are the most numerous piece in chess, but also the weakest in power. With the exception of their first turn, they can only move one space at a time and can only capture another piece that is diagonal to it. However, pawns can be of great use to any chess strategy, as they are not only useful for causing a distraction, but can also be exchanged for other, more valuable pieces if they manage to get all the way across. board without being captured.

These pieces are unique in that they are the only piece that can never move backwards on the board. The pawn can only advance, sometimes diagonally, if it is capturing. Any piece directly in front of a pawn prevents it from moving, whether it is a friendly piece or not. The only time a Pawn can move if there is a piece directly in front of it is when the Pawn can diagonally capture an opponent’s piece. However, the strategic placement of pawns can be of great help to a player as they can prevent an opponent from moving successfully, as if they were to capture the pawn another piece could easily take them. Pawns are most commonly useful as obstacles, allowing the player to shape the chessboard in a way that might be temporarily beneficial.

If the pawn can successfully navigate to the full opposite end of the board then it is eligible for promotion. Having a promoted Pawn can be one of the biggest benefits in a Chess game as it allows that Pawn to become any other piece in the game except the King. With the Pawn promotion, players can have multiple pieces on the board of any rank, usually a Queen. As Queens are the most powerful pieces available in a Chess game, it is rare that any other pieces are chosen. However, when it does happen, a knight piece is usually selected due to its unique movement pattern. Often when a Pawn can promote, the end of the game is in sight. Having two pieces available with the power of a Queen is not an easy thing for any player to overcome, and often the best the player who did not successfully promote a Pawn can hope for is a stalemate.

Pawns have been a part of Chess since its original conception long ago and have appeared in every independently developed version of Chess around the world. The piece is generally considered to be of the ‘common man’ rank in the game, making up the royal infantry representing the King, Queen, and Royal Court. Pieces are generally considered expendable, as the entire game revolves around protecting the King from damage. The word Pawn itself is generally taken to mean “one who is easily manipulated” or “one who is sacrificed for a greater purpose”, making Pawns generally the least loved pieces in the game. However, these pieces can still stand on their own, as it is not easy to win a game without the successful strategy of manipulating pawns.