"to play the pawns well; they are the soul of chess: it is they which uniquely determine the attack and the defense, and on their good or bad arrangement depends entirely the winning or losing of the game." -Philidor
That was one of the games my dad played with us when we were kids to teach us the importance of pawns and to teach us the importance of the king in an endgame.
Idk anything about how stockfish works and what nodes are. Can you explain that in simple terms? Does that mean this is really simple to calculate, or not?
@@billybob1831 Simple to calculate... maybe not. But far, far simpler than a normal game. If Stockfish sees this as a draw after however many nodes, that means that, after evaluating a couple billion potential positions, with "perfect" play by both sides, you would always result in a draw. Now here's an incredibly simplified explanation for how that actually works: Stockfish's algorithm creates a decision tree on each move. That is, it creates a structure with nodes that represent a certain position, and edges between that represent a move leading to that position. As you could imagine, since there are quite a few possible moves that could be played on each position, the number of total positions you have to calculate blows up exponentially. So, there's some more tricks that are done behind the scenes to cut out the need to evaluate positions that aren't necessary to further analysis. That evaluation, though, is difficult because there is no single accepted "best" way to evaluate a position algorithmically. So "perfect" play according to an engine is actually only as good as the evaluation function used by that engine. If you want to learn this stuff more in depth, there's a great video about it by Sebastian Lague called "Coding Adventure: Chess" that goes through this stuff in a very digestible format.
@@billybob1831 stockfish basically works by brute-force testing every possible move, one-by-one and scoring them on how good they are. one node is one iteration of that test-and-score function. because stockfish cannot find a solution after a billion variations, the board state is very complex to calculate.
This is a Rosen trophy hunter's dream come true . Connect-5 , Connect-6 , Pawn Diamond , Double Pawn Diamond , Pawn cube , Quadrupled Pawns just to name a few .
This reminds me of an old game that I played like 20 years ago: Lego Chess. Besides from a basic chess tutorial and a "story mode" where you need to defeat the computer in 3 levels of difficulty, the game also had some special game modes like what Eric played here. The game modes are: only pawns, pawns + knights, pawns + bishops, pawns + rooks, pawns + queen, and finally pawn + king. The objective of all those game modes are either to capture all pawns of the opponent, or to get a pawn to the back-rank (which is an insta-win). It was a great way to practice every chess piece in isolation to the other pieces.
😎 i knew someone once, when teaching his son to play chess, they'd play all pawn games, also set up end game all pawn positions to develop strategy. It's a great exercise.
You'd have to simplify the rules, such as "first to promote wins" and then it may be solvable. With standard rules you would need tablesbases for every combination of pieces that can promote from 16 pawns.
@@AlanTwoRings no, you would only need the critcal positions. You could easily apply simple patterns, ie if you do this i do this. A m1 position is solved, you dont need the irrellevant moves
I feel like playing this game variant, especially with only allowing promotions to minor pieces, would be good practice. I feel like these are the trickiest endgames.
After bxa5, I think black just had a frozen pawn on b7, because if b5 then en pessant and if b6, then axb6. So just positionally Black's King has to go out of it's way to capture it
Maybe playing on the flanks is better than playing in the center? The king is very slow, so if you somehow manage to get a passer on both flanks you will win, but if you get 2 passers on the center they may be close enough together that the king can stop them enough to make progress elsewhere.
I was thinking in the opening and middle game that it would be best to move the flank pawns and try to trade them for the B and E Pawns to make them more valuable, but I guess that's not good?
Finally, an OnlyPawns video from Eric Rosen
i loved his pawnziani
You shouldn't watch pawn.
It's pawndemonium!
Nobody else making this kind of chess video. Hopefully Eric makes more videos of this kind of chess variant, he would become the Pawn Hub.
I'd pay to see him promote a queen and mate on camera ❤❤
"to play the pawns well; they are the soul of chess: it is they which uniquely determine the attack and the defense, and on their good or bad arrangement depends entirely the winning or losing of the game."
-Philidor
Lol. He would say that.
There's also that one grandmaster quote about pawns just getting in the way ; )
That was one of the games my dad played with us when we were kids to teach us the importance of pawns and to teach us the importance of the king in an endgame.
Nice idea, did it improve your pawn play?
In case anyone wonders stockfish sees this as a drawn game after a couple billion nodes.
Idk anything about how stockfish works and what nodes are.
Can you explain that in simple terms? Does that mean this is really simple to calculate, or not?
@@billybob1831 Simple to calculate... maybe not. But far, far simpler than a normal game. If Stockfish sees this as a draw after however many nodes, that means that, after evaluating a couple billion potential positions, with "perfect" play by both sides, you would always result in a draw.
Now here's an incredibly simplified explanation for how that actually works: Stockfish's algorithm creates a decision tree on each move. That is, it creates a structure with nodes that represent a certain position, and edges between that represent a move leading to that position.
As you could imagine, since there are quite a few possible moves that could be played on each position, the number of total positions you have to calculate blows up exponentially. So, there's some more tricks that are done behind the scenes to cut out the need to evaluate positions that aren't necessary to further analysis.
That evaluation, though, is difficult because there is no single accepted "best" way to evaluate a position algorithmically. So "perfect" play according to an engine is actually only as good as the evaluation function used by that engine. If you want to learn this stuff more in depth, there's a great video about it by Sebastian Lague called "Coding Adventure: Chess" that goes through this stuff in a very digestible format.
@@billybob1831 stockfish basically works by brute-force testing every possible move, one-by-one and scoring them on how good they are. one node is one iteration of that test-and-score function. because stockfish cannot find a solution after a billion variations, the board state is very complex to calculate.
@@clothes5049 arigatou gozaimasu Clothes-sensei.
@@TheMCEnthusiastPlays not every possible variation as it uses alpha-beta pruning
This is a Rosen trophy hunter's dream come true . Connect-5 , Connect-6 , Pawn Diamond , Double Pawn Diamond , Pawn cube , Quadrupled Pawns just to name a few .
Ah yes, my favorite opening, the Pawnziani
This reminds me of an old game that I played like 20 years ago: Lego Chess.
Besides from a basic chess tutorial and a "story mode" where you need to defeat the computer in 3 levels of difficulty,
the game also had some special game modes like what Eric played here.
The game modes are: only pawns, pawns + knights, pawns + bishops, pawns + rooks, pawns + queen, and finally pawn + king.
The objective of all those game modes are either to capture all pawns of the opponent, or to get a pawn to the back-rank (which is an insta-win).
It was a great way to practice every chess piece in isolation to the other pieces.
dude i recognize you from the choppy orc community lmao
😎 i knew someone once, when teaching his son to play chess, they'd play all pawn games, also set up end game all pawn positions to develop strategy. It's a great exercise.
Surely this is solved
Nope. Table base is nowhere near solving this
And don’t call me Shirley
You'd have to simplify the rules, such as "first to promote wins" and then it may be solvable. With standard rules you would need tablesbases for every combination of pieces that can promote from 16 pawns.
@@AlanTwoRings would love to see this.
@@AlanTwoRings no, you would only need the critcal positions. You could easily apply simple patterns, ie if you do this i do this. A m1 position is solved, you dont need the irrellevant moves
Attention players who trade EVERYTHING for no reason before the middlegame starts: Why don't you just play this way?
This has some checkers vibes
I remember when i first started chess as a kid my teacher forced us to play like this for 1 or 2 games, to get a hang of what to do with pawns
Hello Eric, you should play a King and 8 pawns vs King and Queen position. The King and Queen should be able to win, but it´s funny to play too.
The classic pawn start game
Maybe gifting a pawn on a pawn only game isn't the way.
I feel like playing this game variant, especially with only allowing promotions to minor pieces, would be good practice. I feel like these are the trickiest endgames.
This chess variant is actually commonly used to teach chess to beginners in Sweden.
After bxa5, I think black just had a frozen pawn on b7, because if b5 then en pessant and if b6, then axb6. So just positionally Black's King has to go out of it's way to capture it
Excellent theory exercise
Oops, all pawns
It’s midnight here in the UK, and my birthday is off to a great start. Thank you!
Yes this is Eric's gift to everyone.
@@magicsilence Thanks! ❤️
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday! It’s still mine here in the US
Happy b-day!!! 🎉🎉
Hi, where/what chess platform allows playing Only Pawns /King game. Looks like Lichess but could not find such a game type listed.
This is a custom position challenge on lichess
Finally a game where Eric can't "blunder" his queen
Unless he gets a pawn across the board, promotes it to a queen and then blunders it. ;)
@@LPChip Ohno, my former pawn.
I like this a lot. Can we have more of this? :)
Great endgame training exercise
I was hoping for BEACH CAFE...
this is probably some instructive way of learning pawn play
Do you think this position could be solved?
Not with current technology.
I played this with my young chess students
"Oh no, my pawn!"
Yeah, it's called checkers.
Eric would make one helluva teacher
I believe that an only pawn game (i.e. without the Kings) is completely solved for any board size, but I'm not sure.
Yes. If played perfectly, the pawns would all block each other from moving and stalemate.
This is how I am teaching my granddaughter to play Chess, I call it Only Pawns.
I actually played this with my friend, we kinda made theory lol
Ah yes... *pawn battle*
Can you make a content about the Anti-Dutch Line of your London System about the Senechaud Gambit?
omg i can't believe he didn't play the Pawnziani
Nice video!
Maybe playing on the flanks is better than playing in the center? The king is very slow, so if you somehow manage to get a passer on both flanks you will win, but if you get 2 passers on the center they may be close enough together that the king can stop them enough to make progress elsewhere.
I was thinking in the opening and middle game that it would be best to move the flank pawns and try to trade them for the B and E Pawns to make them more valuable, but I guess that's not good?
Disappointed
How didn't you use the opportunity to play a pawnziani
I believe they call that checkers
Peasant chess
I would spend all my life savings to Eric's OnlyPawns page
wow the king is actually the strongest piece
1:12 I see b4
I imagine it’s dubious for black to even consider playing for a win
chess
Eric i just want you to know that I will be tanking my blitz elo until I can win my eggegg trophy. It’s sooooo hard 😂
a5, cant play gambits in this variant lol
Unappetizing, yet surprisingly nutritious.
UA-cam new bug "0 comment"
He sacrificed his queen before the game.
I feel like white would always win this, of at least at slightest innaccuracy from black
Playing a variant that doesn't involve a duck. Disappointed...
Bro thinks he's Eric Rosen
Ch.
First again
wihtout notifications
im insane
Arrest yourself
Most sane UA-cam commenter
amazing king and pawn play for first time. ~! thanks for sharing very instructional too ♟🎨