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TacticsPlay as white

Defensive Resources

Won positions are lost by ignoring the other side. Find the move that stops their idea.

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Introduction

Every tactic you have learned so far, your opponent can play too. Before you carry out your own plan, ask one question: what is their threat? Defence has the same three answers as a check — move away, capture the attacker, or put something in the way — and finding the right one is what turns a winning position into a win.

Lesson Content

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White has two connected pawns on g6 and h4 and Black's king cannot stop them both. But Black has a pawn on c3, two squares from promoting, and the white king on e4 is the only piece that can catch it.

Defence
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1. ..Kd3

Deal with the threat first. The king steps into the pawn's path, so after 1. ..c2 2. Kxc2 the runner is gone — and only then do the white pawns decide the game.

Defence
Alternative Moves
g7+ — Pushing first gives away the pawn that does the winning. After 1...Kxg7 White still catches the runner with 2.Kd3, but the black king walks to h5, takes the h-pawn, and nothing is left: a draw.
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2. Kxh3

White is in check — from the pawn on f3, not from the rook — so the king has to move. Move it onto something: h3 steps out of the check and takes a rook that nothing defends, and White's own rooks can then turn round and blockade the pawns on e2 and f3.

Defence
Alternative Moves
Kf2 — Stepping aside leaves the black rook alive; after 1...e5 the pawns and the rook together are enough to hold the draw.
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The white pawn on b6 is two squares from the eighth rank, where it becomes a queen and wins the game, and the black rook on g1 will swing to b1 to stop it. White's knight on d5 is the piece that decides whether the pawn gets through.

DefenceInterference
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3. b7

Push anyway. Black answers 1. ..Rb1, putting the rook right in front of the pawn — which is exactly what White is counting on: a rook on b1 can be blocked, and a blocked rook cannot stop the pawn queening.

Defence
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3. ..Nb4

The knight drops into the b-file between the rook and the pawn. The rook can no longer see b8, so b8=Q comes next move; taking the knight costs Black exactly the move he needs, and the new queen decides the game.

DefenceInterference
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Black's king on f5 is about to march in and White has only king moves. Which one holds the kingside together?

Defence
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What should you check before carrying out your own plan?

Defence

Key Takeaways

  • Find the opponent's threat before you play your own idea.
  • Defence has the same three answers as a check: move, capture, block.
  • A single precise defensive move is often what the whole win depends on.

Now play it through

Step through every move on a real board, try the wrong ones, and ask Knighty why they fail.

Practice Interactively

Related Lessons

Sacrifice and King Attack

Clearance and Interference

Intermezzo and Quiet Moves

Summary

Ask what your opponent would play if it were their move, every move. Then answer it precisely: step into the runner's path, capture the attacker, or block the line — and only afterwards get on with winning.

Ready to Practice?

Practice Interactively

Next in this course

Anastasia's Mate

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