<p>A cluster of pawns which march together to lead an attack in a chess game is termed as a ‘pawn storm’. These storms can be difficult to handle as most often the bigger pieces like the knights, bishops, rooks and queen have already taken positions behind these pawns and are just waiting for the cracks in the defence before launching a major offensive.<br /><br />In the game below, there are two pawn storms, the one on the King-side led by white and the one on the queen-side led by black. White is better for most part of the game before an error lets black to get back into the game but a horrifying blunder by black in the dying stages results in instantaneous loss.<br /><br />White: Rainer Knaak – Black: Burkhard Malich<br />Turnier Halle, 1981<br />Queen’s Gambit Declined<br />1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e3 Be7 8.Qc2 Nf8<br />If 8...Nh5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.0–0–0.Nb6<br />9.h3. White could have played 9.Bd3 Ne6 10.Bh4<br />9...Ne6 10.Bh4 Nh5<br />Instead of going after the bishop Black could have castled. If 10...g6 11.Bd3 Ng7 12.g4 Be6<br />11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.0–0–0<br /><br />White hurries and castles on the long side. He could have waited and played 12.Be2<br />12. .. Nf6. If 12...g6 13.Ne5 Nf6<br />13.Ne5. White had better options in 13.Kb1 or 13.g4 in adopting an aggressive stance<br />13. ..0–0 14.f4 Rd8</p>.<p><br />Both the light squared bishops are still standing on their original positions<br />15.g4 Nd7. If 15...c5 16.g5<br />16.Bd3 Nef8. Better appears 16. ..Nxe5 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.dxe5<br />17.g5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Qc5 19.Qf2 b5<br /><br />Black could have thought of pushing 19...a5 followed by a4 and a3<br />20.Bc2 Qe7. He need not have retreated the queen and instead followed with 19. ..b4<br />21.Ne2 a5 22.Nd4 Bd7 23.Qg3<br /><br />White could have played more dynamically with 23.h4<br />23. .. Re8 24.h4 a4 25.h5 a3</p>.<p><br />Interesting position! A pawn storm on the Kingside and also on the queen side. The race has began to see whose attack gets activated first.<br /><br />Diagram 1<br />26.b3 c5 27.Nf3 c4 28.Nd4<br />Worth a look is 28.Rxd5<br />28. ..Rac8 29.Kb1 Qb4 30.e4 dxe4<br />If 30...cxb3 31.Bxb3 dxe4 32.g6 hxg6 33.hxg6 Nxg6 34.Qxg6 Qxb3+ 35.Nxb3 fxg6<br /><br /> 36.Rxd7<br />31.g6 hxg6<br />If 31...fxg6 32.hxg6 Nxg6 33.e6 Bxe6 34.Nxe6 Rxe6 35.f5<br />32.hxg6 Nxg6. If 32...fxg6 33.Bxe4<br />33.f5. If 33.e6 Bxe6 34.Nxe6 fxe6<br />33...cxb3 34.Bxb3 Bxf5<br />If 34...Rc3 35.Qh2 Rxb3+ 36.axb3+ a2+ 37.Qxa2 Nxe5 38.Qh2+ And if 34...Nxe5 35.Rdg1 Qf8 36.Qh4</p>.<p><br />35.Nxf5 Rc3 36.Nh6+<br />Not the right continuation. White should have played 36.Qh2 Rxb3+ 37.axb3 Qxb3+ 38.Ka1 Qc3+ 39.Ka2 Qc4 and White appears better<br />36...Kf8 37.Rhf1. <br />If 37.Rd7 Re7 38.Rd8+ Re8 39.Rd7<br /><br />37...Nxe5 38.Rd7<br />If 38.Rxf7+ Nxf7 39.Rf1 Rxb3+ 40.axb3 gxh6<br />38...Re7. A terrible blunder! Black not only bungle in an advantageous position but ends up on the losing side. The correct continuation is 38...Rxb3+ 39.axb3 (39.Ka1 Qd4+ 40.Rxd4 Rxg3 And if 39.Qxb3 Qxb3+ 40.axb3 gxh6) 39...gxh6 maintaining his advantage<br />39.Rd8+ Black is lost!<br />39. .. Re8 40.Rxe8+<br /><br />Diagram 2<br />White to play and checkmate in two moves<br />1.Rh8+ Qxh8. If 1...Kxh8 2.Qh7 checkmate<br />2.Qf7 checkmate.<br /><br /></p>
<p>A cluster of pawns which march together to lead an attack in a chess game is termed as a ‘pawn storm’. These storms can be difficult to handle as most often the bigger pieces like the knights, bishops, rooks and queen have already taken positions behind these pawns and are just waiting for the cracks in the defence before launching a major offensive.<br /><br />In the game below, there are two pawn storms, the one on the King-side led by white and the one on the queen-side led by black. White is better for most part of the game before an error lets black to get back into the game but a horrifying blunder by black in the dying stages results in instantaneous loss.<br /><br />White: Rainer Knaak – Black: Burkhard Malich<br />Turnier Halle, 1981<br />Queen’s Gambit Declined<br />1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e3 Be7 8.Qc2 Nf8<br />If 8...Nh5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.0–0–0.Nb6<br />9.h3. White could have played 9.Bd3 Ne6 10.Bh4<br />9...Ne6 10.Bh4 Nh5<br />Instead of going after the bishop Black could have castled. If 10...g6 11.Bd3 Ng7 12.g4 Be6<br />11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.0–0–0<br /><br />White hurries and castles on the long side. He could have waited and played 12.Be2<br />12. .. Nf6. If 12...g6 13.Ne5 Nf6<br />13.Ne5. White had better options in 13.Kb1 or 13.g4 in adopting an aggressive stance<br />13. ..0–0 14.f4 Rd8</p>.<p><br />Both the light squared bishops are still standing on their original positions<br />15.g4 Nd7. If 15...c5 16.g5<br />16.Bd3 Nef8. Better appears 16. ..Nxe5 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.dxe5<br />17.g5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Qc5 19.Qf2 b5<br /><br />Black could have thought of pushing 19...a5 followed by a4 and a3<br />20.Bc2 Qe7. He need not have retreated the queen and instead followed with 19. ..b4<br />21.Ne2 a5 22.Nd4 Bd7 23.Qg3<br /><br />White could have played more dynamically with 23.h4<br />23. .. Re8 24.h4 a4 25.h5 a3</p>.<p><br />Interesting position! A pawn storm on the Kingside and also on the queen side. The race has began to see whose attack gets activated first.<br /><br />Diagram 1<br />26.b3 c5 27.Nf3 c4 28.Nd4<br />Worth a look is 28.Rxd5<br />28. ..Rac8 29.Kb1 Qb4 30.e4 dxe4<br />If 30...cxb3 31.Bxb3 dxe4 32.g6 hxg6 33.hxg6 Nxg6 34.Qxg6 Qxb3+ 35.Nxb3 fxg6<br /><br /> 36.Rxd7<br />31.g6 hxg6<br />If 31...fxg6 32.hxg6 Nxg6 33.e6 Bxe6 34.Nxe6 Rxe6 35.f5<br />32.hxg6 Nxg6. If 32...fxg6 33.Bxe4<br />33.f5. If 33.e6 Bxe6 34.Nxe6 fxe6<br />33...cxb3 34.Bxb3 Bxf5<br />If 34...Rc3 35.Qh2 Rxb3+ 36.axb3+ a2+ 37.Qxa2 Nxe5 38.Qh2+ And if 34...Nxe5 35.Rdg1 Qf8 36.Qh4</p>.<p><br />35.Nxf5 Rc3 36.Nh6+<br />Not the right continuation. White should have played 36.Qh2 Rxb3+ 37.axb3 Qxb3+ 38.Ka1 Qc3+ 39.Ka2 Qc4 and White appears better<br />36...Kf8 37.Rhf1. <br />If 37.Rd7 Re7 38.Rd8+ Re8 39.Rd7<br /><br />37...Nxe5 38.Rd7<br />If 38.Rxf7+ Nxf7 39.Rf1 Rxb3+ 40.axb3 gxh6<br />38...Re7. A terrible blunder! Black not only bungle in an advantageous position but ends up on the losing side. The correct continuation is 38...Rxb3+ 39.axb3 (39.Ka1 Qd4+ 40.Rxd4 Rxg3 And if 39.Qxb3 Qxb3+ 40.axb3 gxh6) 39...gxh6 maintaining his advantage<br />39.Rd8+ Black is lost!<br />39. .. Re8 40.Rxe8+<br /><br />Diagram 2<br />White to play and checkmate in two moves<br />1.Rh8+ Qxh8. If 1...Kxh8 2.Qh7 checkmate<br />2.Qf7 checkmate.<br /><br /></p>