A diagonal row of pawns protecting one another. Base is the rear pawn; head is the front.
Why it matters
A pawn chain is a diagonal line of pawns, each defending the one in front. The front pawn is well protected and the back one — the base — is not, which decides where both sides should play.
Chains also point. A chain running up the board towards the kingside says attack on the kingside, because that is the direction your pawns already give you space in. It is the clearest signal in a closed position about which side of the board is yours.
See it on a board
White's chain runs c3–d4–e5 and points at the kingside; Black's runs e6–d5 and points at the queenside. The bases, c3 and e6, are what each side should attack.
Checked: the position really has the feature described.
How to play it
- Find the base of each chain: the rearmost pawn, the one no pawn defends.
- Attack the base, not the head. The head is defended and the base is not.
- Play on the side your chain points towards, and expect the opponent to play on the other.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Knight · ages 4–6
Pawns in a diagonal line defend each other. The one at the back has nobody defending it, so that is the one to attack.
Rook · ages 6–9
The chain tells you which wing to play on. If your pawns point at the kingside, kingside play is not a choice you make, it is the position telling you.
What goes wrong
- Attacking the head of the chain, which is defended, instead of the base, which is not.
- Playing on the wrong side, against the direction your own pawns point.
Questions people ask
- How do I attack the base of a chain when it is far away?
- With a pawn break: ...c5 and ...f6 against a d4–e5 chain, or f4–f5 against an e6–d5 one. Pieces alone rarely reach a well-defended base.