Pawn Play
What is a centipawn in chess?
- Pawns
- Structure
- Plans
Centipawn is a pawn-structure concept: a unit of evaluation used by chess engines, e.g. an evaluation of +1.32 is worth 20 centipawns more than an evaluation of +1.12. Historically a centipawn corresponded to a material value of 0.01 of a pawn; however, the strongest modern engines no longer rate pawns as worth 1. The teaching point is that pawn moves are permanent, so they create both strengths and weaknesses.
What to look for on the board
- Weak pawns that can be attacked.
- Passed pawns that can advance.
- Pawn breaks that change the structure.
Related terms
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