Pawn storm

A pawn storm is a chess strategy in which several pawns are moved in rapid succession toward the opponent's defenses.[1] A pawn storm usually involves adjacent pawns on one side of the board, the queenside (a-, b-, and c-files) or the kingside (f-, g-, and h-files).

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Examples

A pawn storm will often be directed toward the opponent's king after it has castled toward one side (e.g. Fischer–Larsen, 1958[2]). Successive advances of the pawns on that side might rapidly cramp and overwhelm the opponent's position.

Fischer vs. Petrosian, Yugoslavia 1959
abcdefgh
8
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 43.Qc4[3]


A pawn storm might also be directed at queening a passed pawn; the diagram is taken from a game in which Tigran Petrosian was playing the black pieces against Bobby Fischer. Over the next fourteen moves, Petrosian storms his twin pawns down the a- and b- files, forcing Fischer's resignation.

References
  1. Pandolfini, Bruce (1995). Chess Thinking. Simon & Schuster. p. 179. ISBN 0-671-79502-3. Pawn storm.
  2. Fischer vs. Larsen, 1958 Chessgames.com
  3. Fischer vs. Petrosian, Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959) Chessgames.com


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