Chess lessons › Chess strategy
The minority attack
Pushing fewer queenside pawns than the opponent has, on purpose, to leave a real weakness behind.
The idea
Fewer pawns pushed at more, on purpose, to leave a pawn weak.
- White has two queenside pawns against Black’s three.
- b5 attacks Black’s pawn on c6.
- After the trade, d5 is isolated or c6 is backward.
In a game: In the Carlsbad structure, White’s b-pawn goes to b5 to break up Black’s queenside pawns.
How the lesson begins
This is the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined. White took on d5 early, and the pawns now stand in the Carlsbad structure: White’s pawns on d4 and e3 face Black’s on c6 and d5. On the queenside White has two pawns, a2 and b2, against Black’s three, a7, b7 and c6, and the c-file is half-open for White.
Step through the moves. White pushes the smaller group of pawns at the bigger one. This is the minority attack.
- 9... Re8 10. O-O Nf8 11. Rab1 The rook goes behind the b-pawn.
- 11... Ng6 12. b4 The minority attack begins.
- 12... Bd6
A question
White is about to push the b-pawn further, even though Black has more pawns on that side. What is the point of the push?
Show the answer
Not to win a race, but to force a trade that leaves one of Black’s pawns weak.
Right. When the b-pawn reaches b5 and is traded, Black is left with a weak pawn on d5 or c6. The next steps show both.