Pawn storm

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This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

A pawn storm is a chess tactic in which several pawns are moved in rapid succession toward the opponent's defenses.

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). The diagram at right 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 a and b pawns down the a and b files, forcing Fischer to resign.

Often, a pawn storm will be directed toward the opponent's king after it has castled toward one side. Successive advances of the pawns on that side might rapidly cramp and overwhelm the opponent's position. A pawn storm might also be directed at queening a passed pawn.

However, if the attacker's king is on the same side that he is conducting a pawn storm, the storm will result in the removal of the pawns from their defensive positions. This could overextend the attacker's position and result in a negative outcome. A pawn storm might therefore be most effective when the players have castled on opposite wings of the board. Pawn storms are often performed injudiciously by very inexperienced players. However, they are an effective tactic in expert hands.

In general, a pawn storm is best left until the middlegame or the endgame. However, one variation of the Modern Benoni opening employs an early pawn storm. The second diagram shows the position after: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Nf3 0-0. The Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation is an opening that often leads to the players castling on opposite sides, which often soon leads to fierce pawn storms from both players.