Lesson 12: Strategic Ideas in the Carlsbad Pawn Structure

In the Carlsbad pawn structure, each side has a a half-open file, with locked pawns in the center. For example, this structure can arise after the opening moves 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cd ed 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3. This Lesson will discuss typical plans in this structure, including the minority attack and active White play in the center.

The Minority Attack is a common plan in various Queen-pawn openings. In this plan, White plays for a Queenside attack even though White has fewer pawns than does Black on this wing (e.g. 3 versus 4 pawns). The key, as articulated by Aron Nimzovitch, is that White's numerical pawn minority constitutes a qualitative pawn majority given the freedom of White's pawns to advance to attack the base of Black's pawn chain.


Game 1: Petrosian-Krogius (Tbilisi, 1959)

1 d4 Nf6
2 c4 g6
3 Nc3 d5
4 Nf3 Bg7
5 Bg5 Ne4
6 cd Ng5
7 Ng5 e6
8 Nf3 ed
9 e3 o-o
10 b4 Nc6
11 b5 Ne7
12 Bd3 Bf5
13 Bf5 Nf5
14 o-o Qd6
15 Qb3 Ne7
16 Rfc1 Kh8
17 Rc2 c6
18 Rac1 h6
19 Na4 Rab8
20 g3 Kh7
21 Nc5 Rfd8
22 bc bc
23 Qa4 Qf6
24 Kg2 Ra3
25 Nb7 Re8
26 Na5 g5
27 h3 Qf5
28 Nc6 Qe4
29 Rc5 f5
30 Qc2 Nc6
31 Rc6 f4
32 ef gf
33 g4 Bd4
34 Qd2 Bg7
35 Re1 Qa4
36 Qd5 Re1
37 Ne1 Rf8
38 Nf3 Kh8
39 Rc7 a6
40 Qb7 Rg8
41 Nh4
1-0


Game 2: Taimanov-Nezhmetdinov (Kiev, 1954)

Game 3: Petrosian-Beliavsky (Moscow, 1983)

Game 4: Karpov-Spassky (Leningrad, 1974)