1. A pawn break brings a pawn into contact with an enemy pawn, hoping to free the position, open lines or force some other benefit.

   "A break is generally an unexpected or sacrificial pawn move that can serve multiple purposes, including, but not limited to:

   • Opening up files or diagonals
   • Directly attacking opponent's king
   • Gaining space
   • Freeing up a square (e.g. as an outpost for a knight)
   • Undermining opponent's pawn structure/chain
   • Creating a passed pawn"

   --Roman JIGANCHINE

2. The Colle System is founded on the strength of the pawn break e3-e4 to open lines. (Campana-Peretti)
3. The minority attack depends on the break b4-b5 to create weaknesses
4. Capablanca's manoeuvres in the Orthodox QGD conclude with a freeing pawn break
5. After 1.e4 e5, the common advances d4 and f4 are pawn breaks, as is 1.d4 d5 2.c4.
6. There is some excellent pawn play in (Bernstein-Botvinnik)
7. Of course, normally we recapture, but sometimes the break has other purposes:
   • a breakthrough
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     18. b5! cxb5 19. c6! Nf8 20. Nxb5 Ra8 21. c7 Rc8 22. Na7 +- 1-0
   • or an outpost
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     {[#]} 11. Qc2 {[#] White looks to have powerful pressure against the exposed Black pawns.} e4 {Startling!} (11... f4 12. Bf2) 12. fxe4 f4 {(the point)} 13. Bf2 Nd7 14. Ng1 (14. e5 Nxe5 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 {when Black's pieces are too strong}) 14... Qg5 15. Bf1 Ne5 {[#] when Black's coup has yielded a stranglehold over the Black squares.} ... 1/2-1/2
8. The game Nimzowitsch-Flohr shows both of these elements: clearing e4 for the Knight but also breaking through for an attack
9. In an interesting position with a completely blocked centre like the one below, both sides can plausibly aim to make a pawn break on either side.
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Click [...] to see list of games

[Event "Rio Tercero CF 60 years"]
[Site "Rio Tercero"]
[Date "2012.04.30"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Campana, Miguel"]
[Black "Peretti, Fabricio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D05"]
[WhiteElo "2037"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2012.04.28"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARG"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2013"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.22"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. Qe2 O-O 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 g6 12. h4 Be7 13. h5 Bf6 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. O-O-O Qa5 17. Qf4 Bh8 18. Bg5 Bg7 19. Bf6 Bd7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Rh7+ Kxh7 22. Qxf7+ 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Queen's Gambit"]
[Black "Orthodox Defence"]
[Result "*"]
[PlyCount "24"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5! 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. O-O Nxc3! 12. Rxc3 e5! {}*



[Event "Staunton Memorial"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1946.08.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Bernstein, Ossip"]
[Black "Botvinnik, Mikhail"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B73"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1946.08.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "19"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "MCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. O-O O-O 9. Qd2 Ng4 10. Bxg4 Bxg4 11. f3 Be6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd4 f6 14. b3 Qa5 15. Nb1 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 Bh6 17. Rad1 c5 18. Bf2 {...f5 is very logical, but gives White something concrete to defend against, and White's pieces are not badly placed to defend the King's-side and centre. First, Black sees what he can squeeze out of a threatened Queen's-side pawn break with ...a4 or ...c4.} a5 $1 19. a4 Rfc8 20. Rfe1 c4 $1 21. Be3 Bg7 22. bxc4 Bxc4 23. Nb3 Bf7 24. Re2 Rc4 25. Rd4 Rc3 26. Rdd2 Rc4 27. Rd4 {Having inflicted some pawn weaknesses on the Queen's-side, Black is ready for} f5 $5 28. Rxc4 Bxc4 29. Re1 fxe4 30. Bd2 exf3 31. Rxe7 fxg2 32. Nxa5 Bd5 33. c4 Bf3 34. Kf2 Rf8 35. Be3 Bc3 36. Ra7 Bc6+ 37. Kg3 Bxa5 38. Rxa5 Rf3+ 39. Kxg2 Rxe3+ 40. Kg1 Rc3 41. Ra7 Rxc4 42. Rc7 Rc1+ 43. Kf2 Rc2+ 0-1


[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "1953.10.14"]
[Round "25"]
[White "Kotov, A.."]
[Black "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E87"]
[Annotator "pawn sac: clearance"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnbq1rk1/pp4bp/3p4/2pPpp1n/2P5/2NBBP2/PP2N1PP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 11"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[EventDate "1953.08.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "30"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "Candidates"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 11. Qc2 {[#] White looks to have powerful pressure against the exposed Black pawns.} e4 {Startling!} (11... f4 12. Bf2) 12. fxe4 f4 {(the point)} 13. Bf2 Nd7 14. Ng1 (14. e5 Nxe5 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 {when Black's pieces are too strong}) 14... Qg5 15. Bf1 Ne5 {[#] when Black's coup has yielded a stranglehold over the Black squares.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Bled"]
[Site "Bled"]
[Date "1931.09.12"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Nimzowitsch, Aaron"]
[Black "Flohr, Salo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A18"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1931.08.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "26"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[SourceTitle "HCL"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 d6 4. d4 e5 5. Nge2 Be7 6. f3 c6 7. Be3 Qc7 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. d5 Nb6 10. Ng3 Bd7 11. b3 h5 12. Bd3 g6 13. O-O Nh7 14. a4 h4 15. Nge2 c5 16. f4 exf4 17. Rxf4 g5 18. Rf2 f6 {#} 19. e5! dxe5 20. Bg6+ Kd8 21. Ne4 Nc8 22. Bxh7 Rxh7 23. Nxf6 Rg7 24. Bxg5 Nd6 25. Bxh4 Nf5 26. Rxf5 Bxf5 27. d6 Qxd6 28. Qxd6+ Bxd6 29. Nh5+ Re7 30. Rf1 Bd3 31. Rf8+ Kd7 32. Rxa8 Bxe2 33. Bxe7 Bxe7 34. Ng3 Bd1 35. Nf5 Bd8 36. Rxa7 Kc6 37. Ra8 Kd7 38. Ne3 Bxb3 39. Kf2 e4 40. Rxd8+ Kxd8 41. a5 Ba2 42. g4 1-0