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Too Worried About the Pin

Too Worried About the Pin

Only Chess

R

Joined
06 Jan 07
Moves
12116
Clock
17 Oct 08
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I find that I get way too nervous about having my f3/f6 knight pinned by the enemy bishop on g4/g5. I hate having my queen threatened like that, and then I hate not being able to move my queen because of the doubled pawns I get upon recapturing the bishop. I think my fear is irrational and causing me to overreact by inevitably pushing the h-pawn, and then sometimes the g-pawn too, or else bringing back an already-developed bishop to intercede. Any tips on how to just chill and not do this?

sh76
Civis Americanus Sum

New York

Joined
26 Dec 07
Moves
17585
Clock
17 Oct 08
2 edits
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Well, one thing you may try is moving the pawn to h3/h6 BEFORE the bishop can get to g4/g5. Another thing you can do is alleviate the pin by putting the light squared bishop on e2. This is not a great option as white in the Italian or Spanish game because you'd have to move the bishop a second time to get it there, but it's certainly a good option as black.

Also, if you're in a bad pin, you might want to think about castling long so that doubled f pawns are not the end of the World. In some games, having the 2 bishops is good compensation for doubled f pawns. Also, you can protect the N on f3 with the other N on d2.

But realize this: Your fear is not irrational. A pinned Knight on f3 with a locked out Italian or Spanish Bishop (e.g., with a pawn on d3) and the other Knight on c3 can be a serious weakness that you might want to try to avoid.

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