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The Best English Teacher on the (Pawn) Island ft. GM Ian Nepomniachtchi
Sometimes chess is as simple as a single unifying idea properly put to work
Mastery of any part of chess is deceptively tricky. A winning concept in one position might be a losing concept with just a single difference in tempo or piece placement. As humans, it can be confusing to learn these subtle differences.
For example, when I ask students what they would play in a given position, I'm never surprised to hear "Bg5 because it pins the knight!" When we first learn about pins, we see a bunch of puzzles that reinforce the notion that pinning a piece wins material. We go out into the world and drop a bishop on g5 every game, wondering how we lost. It can take us a long time to realize that a pin is just another concept in chess that has its usefulness at times, and is useless at others.
True masters of the game can take a given position and all its complexities and create a functional plan for each side. They can storm their opponent's king as white in the Ruy Lopez, but they can also create an impregnable fortress for their own king in the same variation as black.
In this post we're going to look at one such master, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, and his handling of a pawn structure in the English opening. Nepomniachtchi is recently best remembered for coming in second in the World Championship match against Magnus Carlsen, but as time fades hopefully our memory of him will be the legacy of great games he left behind, not a bungled championship against the best player of all time.
Nepomniachtchi has many accolades to his credit -- a two-time Russian champion, silver medalist in the world blitz and rapid championships, and winner of the 2020 candidates tournament, he has conquered open and invitational tournaments across the globe.
In addition to chess, Nepomniachtchi has proven himself to be an immensely talented DOTA and Hearthstone player as well. His universal, adaptable style in chess gives him a fresh perspective on various games and allows him to achieve consistently high ranks in both games.
We're going to examine Nepo's handling, from the white and the black side, of a pawn structure that arises out of the English opening:
Both sides have two pawn islands (a pawn island is a group of pawns connected on files next to one another) and no discernible weaknesses. In an otherwise generally tame type of position, there lurk chances to defeat one's opponent many moves before they can only see it coming. One such strategy is to focus on breaking apart the opponent's pawn islands so the remaining pawns become weak. Nepomniachtchi uses his pawns like wolves to separate and isolate members of his opponent's pack, making them easier to hunt down and catch.
Enjoy the annotated games below!
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