Depends...
Depends on the position.
Depends on the skill level of the players.
"Why" is it generally considered better to keep your pawns intact around your king? Basically...If you lose your king, you lose the game.
Flank Attack or Defend the King?
Sort:
Basic chess theory says that you want to keep the three pawns in front of your king in place to protect it, or at most you might move one of them up a square to help prevent back rank checkmates. But on the other hand, if you advance these pawns, you enable a two-flank attack on your opponent, which can overwhelm claim more territory and potentially overwhelm his defensive capabilities. I know that which approach you should prefer depends on the phase of the game and the particular situation, but generally, why is it just taken for granted that keeping the pawns in their defensive mode in front of the king is the right thing to do?