Enjoy!

Hi Renier, Nice lesson as always. I love the hanging pawn positions and if I could get it all the time I would play 1.d4 (or, the Tartakower variation with Black) but alas, it just ain't that way.

I looked at this game and Timman's notes and I was non-plused by his idea of Nb3 by White. It seems to me that getting in the move b3 has more purpose for White in that it holds back Black from advancing c5c4, either to play this quickly or move the queen off of a3 first then follow-up with b3. Sorry, it has been so long ago that I cannot remember the line I came up with (probably just simply Nf3). I just remember the knight on b3 struck me as odd and a bit out of play plus blocking in the queen a bit. It does add pressure on the c5 pawn, but I am not sure how important that is in the scheme of things. Still, in either case, Spassky would have done better with ...Nf6 as you mentioned.

Hanging pawn structures are fun, they are like the puzzle box of chess. I think that, with few pieces on the board, things usually favor the side fighting against the hanging pawns. Add in more minor pieces, then it can be a lot of fun to have the hanging pawns (as you, thankfully, illustrated with the supplemental Korchnoi-Karpov game).

Fischer's technique was superb throughout the game, but the move a4 I thought was sheer genius. After that move Spassky was playing with his hands tied behind his back. Also, thank you for pointing out the redeployment idea in the second game of ...Qb5 with the idea of ...Rfc8 and ...Qe6. I had found this idea a while back but never really connected it directly to the proper plan as you pointed out.

Very instructive lesson!

Thanks for the comments, i think it's because you have a taste for attacking chess that you like th dynamic structures such as hanging pawns or isolated, both structures can unleash fire on the board in certain positions and both can be extremely weak in other, they are dinamic.

My feeling to the game has always been that Fischer absolutely crushed Spassky, now after many years I still think the same only that now I can add that there was nothing wrong with his position (or opening)!

Best regards
Renier
http://renierchess.blogspot.com

I've always been a bit 'suspicious' of playing with hanging pawns - more a comment on my lack of ability rather their intrinsic qualities. I try to play dynamically and avoid exchanges but it never seems to be dynamically enough. The Qb6/e6 manoeuvre is rather neat though.
Anyway, as to hanging pawns I can happily lose games with them or against them! so I enjoyed this intro. It certainly made me think more (and differently) about the Fischer-Spassky game. Any suggestions as to published material worth studying?

Thanks for the videos!

Hi there Floop, there are tons of games, the typical queen manovre can be found in many games arising from the NimzoIndian Rubinstein variation (4.e3) or the Panov variation against the Caro Kan in the lines that black plays with Bb4 and eventually takes on c3 (creating the hanging c3-d4 structure that often becomes c4-d4 later) then white depending on black's develoment goes Qb3-e3 or sometimes Qe2-e3. You would have to check many games inside these lines to find more, but there are classical games by players like Keres, Smyslov. I will try to mention some exact games later.

Best regards
Renier
http://renierchess.blogspot.com

Hi all

I am in shock that I have just done a youtube video about Hanging pawns - with two game examples including the very same game example in this video. I do not know how this at all possible - and I assure everyone on this site - I had not seen this video.

I think what may have happened, is I kibitzed on my own facebook wall, and maybe the kibitzes where picked up which included the classic Fischer Spassky game. I made the kibitzes on Monday I believe, and I went over the Fischer Spassky game on Tuesday night on the playchess.com server.

The video I released today on hanging pawns - the ups and downs is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUIf2olC01Q

I just want to assure everryone on this site - this is the first time I am checking this video now.

Best wishes
Tryfon

Hi

Nice video - but personally I am not going to watch beyond the 11 minute level. From what I have seen, some basic conceptual explanation is missing from this video. Technically actually the Hanging pawns only existed for a very short space of time. The key point which should have been emphasised a lot more clearly is that the Hanging pawns were actually turned into a more *exploitable weakness* by the manover Nd4xe6. Technically allowing fxe6 means the pawns are in fact no longer "hanging" - there is now an adjacent 'f' pawn. But the "exploitable weaknesses" now include the superior Bishop vs Knight, light square control, and possibilty for building up a k-side attack.

The video as is, reminds me of Stephen King Novels, where I sometimes lose track of the main story - this is meant as constructive feedback. The variations although interesting make me lose track of the central story. Maybe that's just me - and many others enjoyed the technical variations a lot more.

The video explanations do seem very different to my youtube video - which is evidence enough that neither I have copied any of these annotations, or vice-versa of course, which is actually impossible time-wise. I had kibitzed about Fischer Spassky game on my Facebook wall on Monday, and therefore annotated it on Tuesday night, along with a Topalov vs Kasparov game which I felt shared the similar theme of Hanging pawns. Also I had kibitzed on my wall about the Topalov vs Kasparov as well.

Best wishes
Tryfon

Salut, Interesting points but I have to disagree.

''Technically actually the Hanging pawns only existed for a very short space of time. The key point which should have been emphasised a lot more clearly is that the Hanging pawns were actually turned into a more *exploitable weakness* by the manover Nd4xe6.''

The hanging pawns didn't dissapear at all and in fact after white played e3-e4 they could arise again if only black plays Nf6, dynamic structures are always changing, of course there are other nuances in the position but what the videos shows is the general struggle, advantages and dissadvantages and how each side should play with and against this structure.

''The video explanations do seem very different to my youtube video - which is evidence enough that neither I have copied any of these annotations, or vice-versa of course, which is actually impossible time-wise. I had kibitzed about Fischer Spassky game on my Facebook wall on Monday, and therefore annotated it on Tuesday night, along with a Topalov vs Kasparov game which I felt shared the similar theme of Hanging pawns. Also I had kibitzed on my wall about the Topalov vs Kasparov as well.''

I have never seen your Facebook wall, neither your youtube page, and I have never copied analysis written anywhere to make a video here, and for the general information, this video was recorded and uploaded on March 4th

Renier
http://renierchess.blogspot.com

Hi there

I think it is because it is such a classic game that we happened to choose exactly the same game with that theme - I was genuinely in shock for the coincidence, not just for a matching game but also theme choice within the game. Sorry for any implied negative thing here - I think I made it clear it was impossible for you to have been influenced by my lecture on Chessbase server - that was on Tuesday night this week. I just wanted to really emphasise that I don't look at many videos here, and certainly had not seen your video here before doing my Youtube video today - which featured also another game example.

Regarding "Hanging pawns" as a concept - I believe there cannot be adjacent pawns on either side - and also perhaps the pawns have to be horizontal to each other.
There is some discussion here which seems good:

http://www.chesslodge.com/2007/05/hanging-pawns/

WIki gives a definition:

"
Hanging pawns
Main article: Pawn structure#The Queen's Gambit - Hanging Pawns
Two friendly pawns abreast without friendly pawns on adjacent files. Hanging pawns can be either a strength (usually because they can advance) or a weakness (because they cannot be defended by pawns) depending on circumstances."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_chess

I posted in my video interpretation of the game that the hanging d and e pawns were not "hanging" anymore basically after fxe6 - because now there is an e6 pawn - thus the definition no longer holds. The pawn on d5 technically now has an adjacent pawn - thus the pawns are no longer "hanging" on c5 and d5. The hanging pawns were in fact transformed into a different form of "exploitable weakness".

The structure with c5 d5 e6 is *not* technically "Hanging pawns" in my view - do you consider the pawns "Hanging" here ?! Maybe within a looser interpretation of "Hanging pawns" - but surely that is now just a "pawn island" or "weak pawns", or simply a more "exploitable weakness" than before.

Best wishes
Tryfon

Might I also point out that any video of hanging pawn that morph into isolated pawns due to the middlegame tendencies may, by your logic stated here, not truly be considered hanging pawns? I think that in most cases the literal 'hanging pawns' probably only last for about 1/3 of the game, so, while it is an important aspect, it is transient.

I believe that IM Castellanos brought out some important basic concepts of the hanging pawn situation, i.e., flexibility, freedom of movement, what pieces should be kept, fight for key squares.

I haven't seen your video yet, but I am looking forward to it as I do find the subject matter interesting.

BTW - I did not gather that you were claiming that something was copied, but more like, 'hey, I did something similar', a matter of coincidence. Perhaps it wasn't worded so clearly, but that's the message I picked up.

Yes I am very sorry for the coincidental video annotation!

For goodwill I have plugged this video annotation from my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/kingscrusher

And will also plug it elsewhere along with my video shortly. Edit: This page link is now also in my Youtube video description.

I have also given the video full marks.

I think it is just because it is a totally classic Fischer win from the most famous match of all time, that the game is likely to be annotated many times by many people. The "Hanging pawns" theme seems a property of the Tartakower variation of the QGD - and is probably the most important central theme of the game, vividly exploited by Fischer.

Best wishes
Tryfon

Well actually I believe the key point of exploiting a structural weakness is often to transform it. You can transform a structural weakness into a more "exploitable weakness" which essentially your piece configuration is more set out to actually concretely exploit. In many classic games for example, the opponent's pawns are deliberately "un-doubled" "un-isolated" - or shall we say "un-hanged" like in this game to bring about a different form of the original weaknesses which is more "exploitable". I believe a weakness is really only a weakness if it is actually exploitable - i.e. the piece configuration really can prove it to be a weakness.

I already lost track of dis discussion, to:

''From what I have seen, some basic conceptual explanation is missing from this video. Technically actually the Hanging pawns only existed for a very short space of time.''

I seem to have responded, why does it matter for how long they stay on the board, I explained white choices to Nxe6 (like Nb3 before) and also after he played e4 I mentioned the possibility after Nf6! always considering that haging pawns may arise again after exd5, so all in all the haging pawns structures is always present during this game that finally is decided by an attack against the black king.

I have presented the complete struggle in this game as I always do, covering all stages I disagree with the ''short space of time'' concept, I think the structure was quite relevant and this game is an example of what black is NOT supposed to do when having a dynamic structure, moves like 18...Qf8 and 20...d4 were too pasive.

Renier
http://renierchess.blogspot.com