Definition of "Pawn Cascade"?

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Avatar of dillydream

I came across this expression in a book, and the author did not explain what it meant.  Can anyone enlighten me?

Avatar of AndyClifton

You mean a pawn storm?

Avatar of AndyClifton

...in a dinky photo.

Avatar of Fralnp

Speaking for myself but maybe is something like this by exemple? :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pawn a6 could come from b7 after capture at a6, The pawn a5 could come from c7 after capture at b6 and a5 etc. The picture represented by the pawns could evoke something "à la waterfall" :)

Avatar of AndyClifton

Hm, I think that's more of a Pawn Retaining Wall.

Avatar of HappyUngulate

As far I know (which is not very far), it means to push the pawn that's next to the leading pawn in a pawn chain to gain space and/or open files.

In the diagram, that would be c4-c5-c6 for White and f5-f4-f3 for Black.

Can anyone confirm this?

Avatar of AndyClifton

Never heard that one before (but sounds good to me).

Avatar of HappyUngulate

Seems to be a pretty uncommon term. I did a quick google search and came up empty, but now I finally found something that's as close to a proper definition as it gets.

In How to Reassess your Chess (4th ed.), Silman gives the following diagram and says on page 317:

"(...) you need to push the pawn that's next to your lead pawn. In white's case the lead pawn is d5 and the pawn you want to push (...) is the c-pawn. In black's case the lead pawn is on e5 and the pawn next to it is the f-pawn. Thus, both sides will make use of a Pawn Cascade."

Avatar of AndyClifton

My guess is that Silman is the one who coined the term.

Avatar of HappyUngulate

That's probably it. I couldn't find it anywhere else.

Avatar of dillydream

HappyUngulate,

I think you have my answer.  So it just seems to mean two adjacent pawn chains, and I can see where you might call that a cascade.  Thanks very much.

And thanks to everyone else who contributed too.

Avatar of rigamagician

I thought "Pawn Cascade" was a song by the early 1980's British New Wave band Leisure Process.  "Here comes our pawn cascade."

Avatar of Depontes

I got this book and "What a book". I love it.