White's a5, b5, c5 and e5 against a7, b7, c7 and d7. The blow 1.c6! opens the position and the free e-pawn finishes the job: White gets two passers at once - the tunnel cannot be held.
The blow 1.c6! At the branch, pick a defence for Black.
White has a5, b5, c5 and e5 against a7, b7, c7 and d7. The blow 1.c6! together with the e-pawn creates two passers - the tunnel is broken open.
The walkthrough has not started yet.
At the branches several defences are available - take any of them. «Back» returns one move, «Main line» plays the principal variation automatically.
After 1.c6 bxc6 2.bxc6 White gets a passer on the c-file, while the e-pawn on its free file is a second passer. Black cannot hold two passers on opposite edges.
While Black deals with one, the other goes through - that is the strength of a twin-passer breakthrough.
Against 1...dxc6 the e-pawn goes through: 2.e6 and e7, e8=Q. Whichever pawn captures, one of White's passers queens.
What to avoid, so the breakthrough does not turn into a draw.
The strength of the position lies in the two passers. Do not fixate on one pawn: it is the pairing of the c- and e-file passers that settles the game.
The starting position is already loaded - move the pawns yourself or paste your own FEN.
Drag a piece onto the board, or click a piece and then click the squares. The cross beside the pieces sweeps every piece of that colour off the board, and a single piece can be dragged off the edge.
The pieces will be arranged into the chosen pattern.
It is the mating side to move. Find mate in one.
Openings, endgame positions and breakthrough studies - the set-up appears on the board.
With the blow 1.c6! and the e-pawn: White gets two passers on opposite edges, and one of them queens.
Two passers far apart cannot be stopped - while Black fights one, the other goes through.
Yes, it is the key: on the free e-file it becomes the second passer, and that is what decides.
The Vibe Chess app is built for an evening over the board, not for online play: it keeps the sign-up list, the pairings and the table while you deal with people and the venue. All of it free.
Work through the other pawn studies in the VC series on the board - breakthroughs, races and overtakes.
Build your own position in the board editor, play through the chess openings move by move, or look into endgame walkthroughs such as king and pawn. If you are only starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set the pieces up.
Sign up to the Vibe Chess bot on Telegram - it carries the schedule of meetups and chess events across the cities we run in.
