If Pawns had a motto,

it would be 'United we stand; divided we fall.' Connected Pawns are strong while isolated Pawns are weak. Hanging Pawns Another common example of a Pawn formation having both strength and weakness is shown in this diagram. As we saw earlier, the connected b- and c-Pawns are strong, but here they sit on half-open files. This makes them vulnerable to attack from the enemy pieces, especially the Rooks. If either Pawn advances, the other Pawn becomes backward, transforming the strong connected Pawns into weak connected Pawns.