Push, Capture, or Ignore

Learn how to deal with pawn tension and decide when to push, capture, or play elsewhere. If you can defend and attack simultaneously, that's often the best option. However, other times it's best to defend threats directly or even to ignore them and do something more important.

Black's pieces are bottled up on the queenside. White's a-pawn has three options - push, capture or ignore. Play the best move!

Black's rook, knight, and bishop are all trapped on the queenside, so White is basically playing up three pieces!