user-1: Why is it important to develop your pieces to put "pressure" on opponent's pawn(s)? I hear this a lot from YouTube videos in which experienced chess players commenting as the game develops. It's "just" a pawn! Why design a tactic or strategy around a pawn?

user3890: In chess, pawns are the only pieces that cannot move backwards and the ones that have the less mobility. Thus, while in the opening a knight or bishop could simply retreat or be exchanged, a pawn usually has not so many options.
This is specially relevant in the opening. Consider for example the moves:
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4
In this position, black has may good moves: Nf6, Nc6 being the best, Be7, Bc5, Bb4 and d6 also being playable. Now, consider the moves:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
Now the e5 pawn is attacked and it black sees his options severely restricted if he wants to defend it, only Nc6 and d6 being sensible in order to do so.
Another important reason is that sometimes the pieces are unable to defend the pawn. This usually happens in the endgame or late middlegame, where some material has been exchanged, but also in some opening variations. To defend the pawn and not lose it, he has to be advanced, leaving behind him weak squares. Around those weak squares a player may be able later in the game to infiltrate the enemy territory and achieve a winning position.

user1761: Attacking a piece is often not very useful: the piece does not feel any pressure but just moves away. A pawn won't escape so easily, so attacking a pawn forces the opponent's pieces to defend it and thus limits their freedom. There are a few possible gains of an attack on a pawn: the opponent cannot get enough pieces to defend the pawn so you immediately win the pawn, or his pieces are so badly placed defending the pawn that you can gain advantage on another part of the board, or the pawn has to move and leave weak squares on both sides of it because it cannot ever again protect the squares that it attacked a move ago.

-1: <p>Why is it important to develop your pieces to put "pressure" on opponent's pawn(s)? I hear this a lot from YouTube videos in which experienced chess players commenting as the game develops. It's "just" a pawn! Why design a tactic or strategy around a pawn?</p>
 3890: <p>In chess, pawns are the only pieces that cannot move backwards and the ones that have the less mobility. Thus, while in the opening a knight or bishop could simply retreat or be exchanged, a pawn usually has not so many options.</p>

<p>This is specially relevant in the opening. Consider for example the moves:</p>

<p><code>1.e4 e5 2.Bc4</code></p>

<p>In this position, black has may good moves: <code>Nf6</code>, <code>Nc6</code> being the best, <code>Be7</code>, <code>Bc5</code>, <code>Bb4</code> and <code>d6</code> also being playable. Now, consider the moves:</p>

<p><code>1.e4 e5 2.Nf3</code></p>

<p>Now the <code>e5</code> pawn is attacked and it black sees his options severely restricted if he wants to defend it, only <code>Nc6</code> and <code>d6</code> being sensible in order to do so.</p>

<p>Another important reason is that sometimes the pieces are unable to defend the pawn. This usually happens in the endgame or late middlegame, where some material has been exchanged, but also in some opening variations. To defend the pawn and not lose it, he has to be advanced, leaving behind him weak squares. Around those weak squares a player may be able later in the game to infiltrate the enemy territory and achieve a winning position.</p>
 1761: <p>Attacking a piece is often not very useful: the piece does not feel any pressure but just moves away. A pawn won't escape so easily, so attacking a pawn forces the opponent's pieces to defend it and thus limits their freedom. There are a few possible gains of an attack on a pawn: the opponent cannot get enough pieces to defend the pawn so you immediately win the pawn, or his pieces are so badly placed defending the pawn that you can gain advantage on another part of the board, or the pawn has to move and leave weak squares on both sides of it because it cannot ever again protect the squares that it attacked a move ago.</p>
