Piece activity vs Pawn structure

 I have seen all videos of the Chessable book The Strategy Instructors Volume 1: Pawn Majority & Minority

It gives a good impression what the middlegame struggle will often be about when one side goes for a good pawn structure, while the other side embarks on maximizing the piece activity.

Where does this extra piece activity originates, and how is it in balance with a better pawn structure?

Usually it takes time (tempi) to saddle your opponent with a double pawn. Furthermore, a doubled pawn comes with an extra (half) open file. And when the double pawns control the center, it is a good thing too.

In order to get a better picture how this works, I decided to analyze the game between Anand and Shirov again.

[Event "Linares"] [Site "Linares ESP"] [Date "1997.02.14"] [Round "9"] [White "Viswanathan Anand"] [Black "Alexey Shirov"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C45"] [Opening "Scotch"] [Variation "4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qd2 dxc6 7.Nc3"] [TimeControl "300"] [Termination "normal"] [PlyCount "50"] [WhiteType "human"] [BlackType "human"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 {The pawn structure has changed. White has a majority in the center, while black has a majority on the queenside. Furthermore, both black and white have got a half open file.} Bc5 5. Nxc6 {White saddles black with a double pawn at the cost of 3 tempi vs 2. His only developed piece leaves the board.} Qf6 6. Qd2 {White blocks his own bishop} dxc6 {Black voluntarily accepts a doubled pawn. What does he get for it? An open d-file. An open diagonal c8-h3 (speeds up his development) His pawn majority on the queenside has become useless when it comes to creating a passer. The doubled pawns occupy the center.} 7. Nc3 Ne7 8. Qf4 {Offering the trade of Queens.} Be6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 {White goes for the endgame. Blacks pawns structure is wrecked. But what is the price that white paid for it? His queen has invested 3 tempi, vs 2 for black. So white lost another tempo. Black has got another half open file. And another doubled pawn that controls the center.} 10. f4 {Another non developing move. But if white can play f5, both black's light squared bishop and his knight will become bad.} f5 {Black can now create an outpost on d5 at will. Either he lures the e-pawn away or he trades the e-pawn himself.} 11. Bd2 O-O-O 12. O-O-O {White has to develop two pieces and black just one.} Rhg8 {Binding Bf1 to the defense. And Bf1 hinders the development of Rh1.} 13. g3 h5 {When you are ahead in development you must try to open up the position in order to make your pieces work.} 14. Bh3 {Create pressure against f5. Making room for the development of Rh1} h4 15. Na4 {Counter attack instead of defending g3} Bf2 16. Bb4 {More counter attack} Rxd1+ {That is usual what a complete open file is used for.} 17. Rxd1 hxg3 {Notice that both white and black have backrank issues. Rg8 must guard the PoP d8 where the white Rd1 and Bb4-e7 converge. While Rd1 must guard against promotion.} 18. hxg3 b5 {Solving black's backrank issues by creating an escape square with tempo.} 19. Bxe7 bxa4 20. Bxf5 Bxf5 21. exf5 Be3+ {A clever in between move that shifts the attack towards f4 while creating new backrank issues for white with tempo.} 22. Kb1 Rxg3 23. Rd8+ Kb7 24. a3 Bxf4 25. Rf8 Be5 {Again a shift in line of attack which introduces a perpetual} 1/2-1/2

Piece activity

• space
• open files
• central squares
• lead in development

Pawn structure

• doubled pawns
• pawn majority
• mobility of the pawn mass
• ability to create a passer

More elements

• the lead in development is a tempo battle.
• binding defenders to weak pawns or weak squares
• invasion
• convergence of attackers in the enemy camp
• counter attack is preferred to defense