The Isolated Couple of Pawns - a Matter of Mobility

                                                      
                                             Position before Nd5xc3 (exkl. of various other pieces)

"Die auf c3 und d4 (bzw. d5 und c6, bei vertauschten Farben) blockierten Bauern - aber nur diese -
nenne ich das isolierte Bauernpaar." (Mein System, P. 221) "I use the term 'the isolated pawn couple'
for the pawns blocked on c3 and d4 (or d5 and c6 with the colours turned) - but only these." 

This declaration is another of Nimzowitsch's confusing statements, and it calls for a comment in two respects:

1) It is not clear why only pawns on the c- and d-files should be interesting in this connection. The main
issue - how to achieve the advance of the pawn couple, and respectively how to restrain such advance -
should ceteris paribus be the same on any other files. Of course, in practise it may be that such cases appear
on the c- and d-files more often than not. 

2) To say that the pawns in the diagram below (Thomas-Aljechin, a game that is given as an example of an
isolated pawn couple, p. 221) are blocked is contradictory to the definition of the concept "blockade":
"Unter Blockade versteht man die mechanische Stoppung eines feindlichen Bauern durch einen Offizier"
(p.88) 

                                Thomas-Aljechin, Baden-Baden 1925, position after 22. d3-d4.

In this particular position we could maybe imagine that A.N. had one more term in his thoughts, let us
say "Fernblockade" ("Blocking from a distance"), but he is quite explicite in saying that the stopping
"Officer" must be placed tightly in front of the passed pawn in order for the term "blockade" to be relevant.

It would be easy to say that the explanation of the attribute "blocked" ("Die auf c3 und d4 .....  blockierten
Bauern") is simply a mistake, a word that he forgot to erase or correct. But in fact, Nimzowitsch repeats his
"mistake" in the chapter "Vom 'Isolani' zu den 'Hängenden' ". 

In his annotations to the game Rubinstein-Nimzowitsch, Karlsbad 1907, A.N. introduces one more expression: 
"die dem gegnerischen Blockadering angehörenden Bauern", for instance the pawn b2 (p.222, 224).
In other words, we cannot take the formal definition of "blockade" quite literally; since the blockade can also
appear in other shapes. Neither of the pawns c6 and d5 is a passed pawn, each has his "irritating neighbour",
although no "antagonist".(p.87). 

Obviously, according to Nimzowitsch the pawn couple is connected with the concept of blocking, since
"the owner of the pawn couple absolutely has to do anything he can to make the pawn c3 (c6) advance, and
on no condition must he allow the pawn couple to be blocked" (p.221). We may conclude that "blockade"
can also be interpreted as "restraint".

Of course, if the pawn couple should be transformed into hanging pawns (c4 and d4; c5 and d5 respectively),
a "tight" blockade will prove more or less impossible.                                                                                   

So the essence of what Nimzowitsch wants us to understand is that mobility of the pawn couple is the 
number one priority, and for the defender to restrain the advance of the pawns. 

But it must be admitted that he could have explained the situation in a somewhat simpler way.

Index

2011-11-22