Welcome to this second article about the Isolani. We are studying a great game played by Lev Polugaevsky against Anatoly Lutokov in 1957. This game shows how Polugaevsky uses the isolated pawn to build an attack.

In the first article, we saw how Polugaevsky developed his pieces in a simple yet harmonious way and how we played to maximize the power of the Isolani. This article starts from the point where White got the Isolani pawn structure and how he maximized its potential ot launch a deadly attack on the black King. We will also see how hard it is to actually defend correctly when you are under pressure.

Generic Principles Of Isolani Positions

In short, the Isolani creates a lot of imbalances in the game, and each side has some assets. This game features some typical attacking and defending moves in this pawn structure, so I will highlight those typical moves as soon as they are played.

What Went Down In The Game

This move 13… Be8 shows that Black probably does not like his position.

Black is trying to defend by making sound, logical moves. However, here, a more energetic answer was needed.