Blockade

Restraining the advance of enemy pawns. The term "blockade in chess," along with the methods for carrying it out, belongs to Nimzowitsch, who formulated the principles of the blockade in his book "My System" and the pamphlet "Chess Blockade."

A blockade means placing one's own piece directly in front of an enemy pawn. Heavy pieces can also blockade "from afar," along the file the pawn stands on. Before blockading a pawn, it sometimes helps first to slow its advance and only then set up the blockade.

The blockade is an important tool against a pawn majority. Sometimes it is even useful to blockade sluggish pawns, in order to turn them into targets for an advance. Blockading two or more pawns can completely paralyze the opponent's forces.

Blockading squares make convenient outposts for pieces — shielded from attack there, they themselves put pressure on the opponent's position. Blockading pieces are especially strong in the center, while they are less active at the edge of the board. A blockade can thus be strong or weak, depending on what the blockading piece can actually do from there.