Passed pawn

It is often strategically advantageous for the side with connected passed pawns to place them on the same rank and then advance them in tandem, because this makes them more difficult to blockade.

In the example illustrated (Mikhail Botvinnik–José Capablanca, AVRO 1938), in order to capitalize on the passed pawn on e6 and break its blockade by Black's queen, White continued guaranteeing the e-pawn's promotion.

The passed pawn's value is well worth the sacrifice of the bishop in order to clear its path to promotion.

Such a pawn often constitutes a strong advantage for its owner because the opposing king does not have the range to cover both sides of the board.

In the diagrammed position from the fifth game of the 1971 Candidates match between Bobby Fischer and Bent Larsen,[2] the outside passed pawn on the a-file confers White a winning advantage, even though material is equal.

In fact, White by means of a sacrificial combination creates a passed pawn and wins: 1. g6!

In the upper-left quadrant of the board, White's connected passed pawns on the sixth rank are superior to Black's rook.

Similarly, in the upper-right quadrant, Black's bishop cannot hold back both of White's pawns.

A striking (albeit very unusual) example of the power of passed pawns is seen in the conclusion of an endgame study by Leopold Mitrofanov (see diagram).

Black, with a queen, bishop, and knight, is helpless against White's two passed pawns, which threaten both 10.b7# and 10.c8=Q+ Bb8 11.b7#.