Connected-pawns annotation symbol

Two pawns are connected when they belong to the same side and stand on adjacent files. If one is a rank ahead of the other, the rear pawn can protect the advanced pawn diagonally; when they advance together, they can also hold space and control nearby squares.

⯺: connection on neighboring files

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a1

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c4 and d2 are on neighboring files, although they do not currently defend each other.

Adjacent files, different ranks

The white pawns on c4 and d2 are connected because they occupy neighboring files. They do not defend one another now, and the black pawns on c7, d7, and e6 prevent any assumption that they are passed pawns.

1. c4 and d2 are on neighboring files, although they do not currently defend each other.

⯺ is the specialized character in Unicode, the standard that assigns common codes to digital characters, called the united-pawns sign. ⚮ is an older graphical form used by some applications. Both let an annotator mark the structural relationship without repeating a long explanation in the symbol system.

The Scid vs. PC list includes $193 as a suggested value for connected pawns. It is a Numeric Annotation Glyph (NAG) beyond the meanings assigned by the original Portable Game Notation (PGN) specification, the text format for storing games. A file may therefore retain $193 while another program fails to show the same glyph. The sign also does not claim that the pawns are always strong: they may be blocked, targeted, or in need of piece support.