Isolation of flank pawns is the opening plan of trading a bishop for a knight to leave the opponent doubled or isolated pawns that can be attacked later.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Start0/9
A pawn with no pawn beside it must be guarded by pieces. Those pieces are tied down for the rest of the game, which is what the side giving up the bishop pair is counting on.
How to do it
- 1Trade only if your pieces can later reach the weak pawns.
- 2Block the square in front of the weak pawn so it cannot advance.
- 3Open the file it stands on and bring rooks to it.
For your level
Damaging the opponent's pawns is worth a concession only if you can reach the damage. Name the file and the piece you will use before making the trade.
Check you have it
Question 1 of 1
Which white pawn has no friendly pawn on either neighbouring file?
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Common mistakes
- Creating the weakness, then opening the position so the opponent's two bishops take over.
- Treating every doubled or isolated pawn as fatal without checking whether it can be attacked.
Questions
- Is the bishop pair worth a damaged structure?
- It depends on whether the position opens. Bishops need open diagonals; if the centre stays locked, the damaged pawns stay weak and the bishops have little to do.