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Es una lástima que este peón no haya sido decisivo.

Es una lástima que este peón no haya sido decisivo.
It is a pity that this pawn has not been decisive.
From Lesson 364:Perfect infinitive conditionals (de haber + participio)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Es una lástima que este peón no haya sido decisivo.

Why is the subjunctive used here (haya sido)?
The phrase Es una lástima que expresses an emotion or a value judgment. In Spanish, expressing a feeling about a secondary clause requires the verb in that clause to be in the subjunctive mood.
Why do we use the present perfect subjunctive (haya sido) instead of the present subjunctive (sea)?
We use the present perfect subjunctive because the emotional reaction is happening right now (es una lástima), but the action it refers to—the pawn not being decisive—has already happened or is viewed as a completed event.
Why is the verb ser used here (sido) with decisivo rather than estar?
Even though a game is a temporary event, ser is used because being decisive describes a defining characteristic or the fundamental role that the pawn played, rather than a temporary physical or emotional state.
Is peón only used to talk about chess pieces?
No, while it translates to pawn in chess, peón is also commonly used in Latin America to refer to a manual laborer, farmhand, or construction worker. In this sentence, the adjective decisivo strongly points to a chess match or a strategic metaphor.

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