Crippled majority

A pawn majority exists when one player has more pawns than the opponent in one area of the board, such as three against two on the queenside, the side where the queens begin. Its usual advantage is the possibility of exchanging pawns until one passed pawn remains, meaning a pawn with no enemy pawn ahead on its own file or either adjacent file.

The majority is crippled when its pawns cannot produce that passed pawn without help from the pieces. It may contain doubled pawns, meaning two friendly pawns on the same file, isolated pawns without neighbors, or pawns that cannot advance safely. The raw number is larger, but some of its force is duplicated or immobilized. Counting pawns is not enough; count useful advances.

A crippled majority is not necessarily useless. Its pawns may control squares, gain space, or support an attack, and a piece may help reorganize them. A pawn break, an advance that attacks an opposing pawn, or a sacrifice, the voluntary surrender of a pawn or piece for another benefit, can also remove the defect. The important comparison is with a healthy majority, which can create a passed pawn without assistance from other pieces.