Pawn opening thoughts

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Centre and game development

Speed is not the importent factor
Pawn-openings with bad piece-development
Sum up

Twin-pawns

Twinpawns problem recover
'Safe' Twin-pawn openings
Twin-pawns gallore problem
Sum up

Zig-Zag pattern

Sum up

Early outpost

Five-link pawn opening examples
Sum up

Pawn opening-examples
Conclusion

Pawn opening thougths

This is about pawn opening. How should you move your pawns when the games start. 
Just whatever that comes in your mind? If you want to move your pawn with a tactic or strategy in your mind
here's a miniguide you can read.

Centre and game development

Centre
Every chess-opening is focused on controlling the centre. This should also be the objective in pawn-opening
in kungfuchess. The control of centre is essentielly the key to a victory. If you control the centre your
opponent is prevented from having her* pieces on the centre-area.

from now on, when I write she, i am referring to he or she, being polical correct :)

Game development
Your pawn should not block your piece development* They should instead mainly be placed on fields where they
can support your game development as much possible.

Game developemnt is done by conquering space on the board, winning the dominans of centre, 
hindering your opponents moveability, and make your pieces support each other.

This document is about pawn-openings, but the placement of your whole army should follow the
princippes of above mentioned game development.

Speed is not the factor to win games in openings
An importent point to know is, that being fast to move pawn in the start of the game,
is mostly not the key to win the games! You'll realise this when you see high ranked players play.
You will always have the choice to wait and see, and then respond to your opponents pawn-opening.

piece development is putting your pieces to places, to make them stronger and usefull

Fig A

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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The ideal move for a player, could be moving your c,d,e,f pawn two steps up. 
Thus restraining your opponent from the fields in centre (see diagram). 
But this is not advised as your opponent can do the same. Your pawns won't be supporting each other
and the twin-pawn problem is present (read the subject below about twin-pawn problem).

Fig a.1

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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Instead you should focus on moving some of your c,d,e,f pawn two steps up. 
And make the others supporting them.

Fig a.2

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Fig a.3

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Fig a.4

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Fig a.5

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The last figure seems good as it attack a lot of centre-spaces.
But this is unfortunately also a subject to a twin-pawn problem.


Examples of bad pawn-opening that blocks your development of your other pieces.

Fig a.6 shows you and example, where you have allowed your opponent to move her f-pawn
all the way down, and you haven't moved your f-pawn to develop your bishop properly.
Now suddenly you have a weak bishop. This is bad development for your bishop.

Fig a.7 shows you how and example of blocking your knights development. This is not fatal
but this kind of opening should be avoid.

Fig a.6

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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Fig a.7

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To sum up
Bads

No centre control is loosing dominans of game
Bad pawn-opening blocking your movement of pieces, will degrade your game development

Goods

Centre is the key to dominate the game
Good pawn-openings will help your game development

Twin-pawns

I define twin-pawn as pawns next to each other at same rank. 
I define twin-pawn opening as moving twin-pawn two steps up.

Twin-pawn opening are good for conquering space and controlling the centre. 
But they have some flaws presented below.

The twin-pawn problem is present if your you have moved twin-pawns up, 
and your opponent has done the same both attacking your twin-pawns, and she has moved her pawns faster than you.
Then your opponent has and advantage, she can protect her twin-pawns which leads to an importent advantage for her. 

When making twin-pawn openings, you must move your pawns fast enough to avoid the twin-pawn problem.

Fig B

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Here's an example how she is winning some pawns, depending on how the other pieces are placed,
She might win one or two pawns, or you might be good enough somehow to make it even.

Fig b.1

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Fig b.2

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Fig b.3

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Fig b.4

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Note: If you happens to have a twin-pawn problem situation, 
you should prevent your opponents backup-pawns ability to support her pawns.

Twinpawns problem recover
Here's the same example, notice the importent h-pawn move. 
It prevents your opponents g-pawn to move up and support her pawn

Fig b.5

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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Fig b.6

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Fig b.7

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Fig b.8

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Your're now behing with one pawn instead of two. 
With this in mind you can make twin-pawn openings and not worry so much of the twin-pawn problem. 
That is if you move reasonably fast enough 

(and your opponent doesnt mirror your pawns offsetted to one side by one
and all pawns are recharged faster than yours which is very very unlikely.


'Safe' Twin-pawn openings
The structure will then look like this

Fig b.9

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Fig b.10

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Unfortunately this will give your opponent easy outpost!
in b.9  at - d4 and g4
in b.10 at - a4, c4, f4 and h4

In the other hand, you're gaining space as a tradeoff for giving easy outpost.

This kind of opening is a very aggressive, and will usually lead to massive
pawn-tradings at start, if your opponent is not to defensive in her pawn-opening.



Twin-pawn gallore problem
Twin-pawn openings gallore*
is usually considered a bad idea if your opponent can be able to move some pawns that are able to capture
some of your pawns and protect it with a supporting pawn. Thus at some situations getting you twin-pawn problem.
Or simple a loss of a pawn if you have moved a triple-pawn. 
This happens if your opponent have moved either the d-pawn of e-pawn fast.

twin-pawn gallore is also named triple-pawn or quatro-pawn etc.

Here your opponent has moved her d-pawn fast anticipating your to make a twin-pawn gallore :)

Fig b.11

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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Fig b.12

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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So you see, twin-pawn opening gives possibilities of a twin-pawn problem
(thus your opponent must also have made a twin-pawn opening)
Or else it leads to easy outpost for your opponent

To sum up
Bads

Twin-pawn problem possibility
Outpost for your opponent
You must move your twin-pawns fast
Not for defensive style player

Goods

Conquering space
Possibility for dominating centre
Suiteble for aggressive style player

Zig-zag pattern

Zig-zag patterned pawn structure gallore is regarded mostly as having a weak position. 
Even though the pawn chains are well connected and defended. The reasons are:

Your opponent has easy outpost for her knigts
You only attack one type of colors on the board with your pawns
Your bottom pawns cant be pushed up and have a defending pawn behing it
One of your bishop is very weak (if its behing the pawns, you have devalueded your bishop to a pawn)
Your opponent can setup a position, where she get outpost for knights and you dont
This position usually leads to a game where you'll be the passive player, and she will be the active
Your opponent can mirror your position locking the game, she might want to draw it :)

Zig-zag pawn structure can be good if you're pursuing locked-up positions and if it's your tactic to limit
the possibilities of piece-movements. And if you have the possibility to move your pawn-chain to capture spaces
limiting your opponent her moveability. The presented pawn-opening is however considered a poor opening.
Because of the reasons enlisted above.

Fig C

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To sum up
Bads

Many positional drawbacks

Goods

Strong pawn structure

Early outpost based openings

The idea is to move a five-link* pawn fast enabling you to have an outpost spot ready for your bishop or knight.

five-link pawn is two pawn at same rank where the're three spaces in between

Fig D

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Here you have and outpost ready at the e4 spot, which your opponent can't attack
because of your five-link pawn securing the e4 spot.

With this, you have four possibilities of five-link opening. 
Here's some opening-examples of the four possible five-link ideas with pieces moving to the destination outpost. 

Notice for the figures d.2 and d.3 how well the pawn-structure prevents the opponent
having outpost at the centre while making you an outpost spot for you!
Indeed this kind of position is seen when high ranked players make their position openings :)

Five-link pawn opening examples

Fig d.1

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
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Fig d.2

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Fig d.3

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Fig d.4

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To sum up
Bads

Your opponent can easyly trade those five-link-pawns structure away

Goods

Making outpost and safe type pawn-opening

Examples of pawn-openings

With these mentioned pawn-opening thoughts, the're a lot of possibilities for good pawn-openings :)
Mostly reasonably 'allways-usable-pawn-openings-disregarding-what-your-opponent-is-gonna-do' is
done by moving 2-3 pawns two steps up, and let the rest either be supporting these pawns or let them
be in standby-mode depending on the process of the gameflow.

Here's some examples, with focus on development of your pieces. 
The knight and bishop pictures are some of the development spots.

Fig e.1 - slash V, five-link

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Fig e.2 - The flanked center

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Fig e.3 - sloping

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Fig e.4 - (centre zigzag)

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Fig e.5 - Dutch stonewall

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Fig e.6 - 'Safe' Twinpawn, (almost English Stonewall)

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Fig e.7 - (passive start)

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Fig e.8- the dragon (bishop in front of pawn)

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Conclusion


This sums up to these notes, which you should remember for good pawn-openings :)

Focus on having pawn structure at centre area, use your c,d,e,f pawns! and make them battle for the centre
Make pawn-openings that helps your game development
Keep in mind the possibility of twin-pawn opening related problems
Avoid zig-zag gallore and focus on other kind of pawn-structure because of it's downsides
Make use of the five-link pawn opening ideas, and be focused on possible outpost created by pawn-structure
Let the pawn-opening examples above inspire you :)


Hope you have enjoyed reading this!