Introduction of the Isolani

The isolated queen's pawn - referred to here as the isolani - is an extremely important pawn structure. It arises in many opening variations; the Queen's Gambit Accepted, Slav, Tarrasch Defence, Sicilian Alapin or French Tarrasch to name a few. This structure is equally common with either colour, but for our discussion in this chapter we will assume it is White who has the isolani. Generally speaking, White has better middlegame prospects, while Black has better prospects in an endgame. Therefore, White's main aim will be to build an attack, while Black's hope will be to neutralize such an attack and simplify the position, obtaining a superior endgame. Let's discuss some specific plans:

White's plans:

1. Create a kingside attack. Most standard plans will include the moves tee5, .lig5 and the battery d3-.lic2. In some cases a piece sacrifice on the kingside is needed to break through the defence. Rooks are typically placed on e 1 and dl {or cl), and a rook transfer via the third rank is possible.

2. Break in the centre with d4-d5, trading pawns and opening lines with an overwhelming initiative {or even sacrificing a pawn with the same purpose).

Black's plans :

1. Trade pieces to win an endgame. In particular, exchange White's good bishop {the lightsquared bishop). 2 Place a knight on d5. This prevents the central break d4-d5, and controls some key squares. In an endgame a rook, bishop or even a king would be strong on this square. As we have seen, the plans in this structure are logical and easy to understand. Playing these positions, on the other hand, can be tricky. Great precision is required when calculating, and a good positional understanding is necessary in order to judge when the isolani provides good attacking chances (or other compensation) and when it is simply a weakness. The games in this chapter show all of these common plans in some form or another. The last two games illustrate an interesting rule for evaluating whether the isolani provides enough attacking chances. As we will learn, che key is whether the player who has the isolani possesses his good bishop. The chapter finishes with a short fragment explaining the power of an isolani which has advanced to the fifth rank.