One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to only consider tactics from an attacking perspective. The ability to recognize your opponent’s tactics, and prevent them from being used against you, is a hallmark of the strongest players.
In a sense, this whole book contains defensive tactics and defensive patterns worth remembering. However, this chapter is devoted exclusively to defensive maneuvers where the attack can be stopped completely. Let’s consider some examples.
With Black to move it looks as though he cannot capture the queen because of a simple back-rank mate.
Black to play
1...Rxe2 2.Rd8+
Black to play
What can Black do? 2...Re8! A common defensive tactic that is worth knowing! The rooks now guard each other through the attacker, which allows Black to win the queen. Of course, the impulsive 2...Rxd8?? is bad because of 3.Rxd8+ Re8 4.Rxe8#, but many beginners just automatically assume they have to capture!
Here is another typical example. What should White do about his pinned bishop?
White to play
Only 1.Qe2 guards the bishop and removes pin. Otherwise, Black would win a piece after, say, 1.d3? f5 and the pinned bishop is lost. But now, after 1...f5, White can simply move the bishop.
Black’s rooks are forked in the next example, but all is not lost. (D)
1...Rb8 saves the day, since 2.Nxh8?? Rxb1+ will mate for Black. So Black can save his h8-rook on the next move. White may still have a good position, but at least Black does not lose the exchange.
Black to play
The three attributes needed to become a good chessplayer:
1. If it’s fun – The ability to enjoy studing chess theory and information through books and practice over a long period of time. For many players, acquiring knowledge through practice is fun, but acquiring theory through study is quite another story.
2. The ability to tolerate losing – If you’re going to play chess, you have to get used to losing. To imporve at chess, you must learn from your mistakes, so as not to repeat them.
3. Mental abilities – This refers to spatial relationiships, deductive logic, memory, etc.
5-1 Black to play and save the knight
5-2 White to play and save a piece
5-3 Black to play and save a piece: If the bishop moves, then 2.Nxc7+ wins the rook.
5-4 Black to play and win back his piece
5-5 White to play and save a piece
5-6 Black to play: Why can’t Black win a piece with ...Bxc3 and ...Qxe2?
5-7 White to play and save a piece
5-8 Black to play and not lose his bishop
5-9 Black to play and not lose material
5-10 White to play and only lose a piece, not his queen
5-11 Black to play and save the e-pawn
5-12 Black to play and save a piece
5-13 Black is in bad shape, but he can save the rook – how?
5-14 Black stops mate and saves the queen
5-15 Black to play and not lose a piece
5-16 White to play and not lose material (Black has just played a discovered check)
5-17 Black to play and save his knight
5-18 White to play and not lose material
5-19 White to play and win Black’s knight, while saving his own
5-20 White to play and not lose a piece
5-21 White to play and not lose more than a pawn
5-22 Black to play and win
5-23 White to play and not lose the bishop
5-24 White to play and draw
5-25 White avoids mate, but he’s in trouble.
5-26 White to play and not lose a piece
5-27 White to play and save the g-pawn and bishop
5-28 White to play and save his pawns
5-29 White to play and not lose a piece
5-30 Black to play and save the knight, the rook, and the mate on f7!
5-31 White to play and stop the pawn
There are three main things one can do against a threat:
1. Ignore it.
2. Create a bigger counter-threat, a “counterattack.”
3. Stop it.
5-1: 1...Ne5 and the knight escapes because 2.dxe5 is illegal, thanks to the pinned dpawn. It may lose a pawn after 2.Nxe5 dxe5 3.Qxe5, but Black remains ahead.
5-2: 1.f4 This is better than 1.Bc2 Rxb1 2.Bxb1 Bxd2 3.Be4. 1...exf4 If 1...Bxf4 2.Bxf4 Rxe1+ (2...exf4 3.Kf2 Bh5 4.Bxc6 Bg6 5.a4) 3.Kf2 exf4 4.Kxe1. 2.Kf2 Bg4 3.Nf3 White is glad to give back a pawn to remain a piece ahead.
5-3: 1...c6 1...Ne7 also works, but the text move is somewhat better. 2.Ne3 Be7.
5-4: 1...a6 The bishop must be forced to move to where it cannot be guarded by the knight! 2.Ba4 Bd7 and because of the pin Black wins either the knight or the bishop. This pattern is very common, so it is a great pattern to learn!
5-5: 1.a3 Better than the reasonable 1.Bd2. 1...Ba5 2.Qxg7 Ne4+ 3.b4 and White regains his piece, since both the bishop and the rook are attacked.
5-6: 1...Bxc3? This removes the guard, but... 2.Qxc3 Qxe2?? 3.Nh6#.
5-7: 1.d5 and if Black retreats his knight, White turns the tables with 2.Nd4, counterattacking the bishop. So White will not lose a piece after 1...exd3 2.dxc6 dxc2 3.cxb7.
5-8: 1...Nc6 blocks the check and guards the bishop. This is another common pattern that you should learn to recognize quickly.
5-9: 1...Qxd2 2.Nxe7+ This zwischenzug doesn’t win the exchange, but trades two pieces for a rook and pawn. 2...Rxe7 3.Rxd2 bxc4 and material is at least equal.
5-10: 1.Nh4 Qh5 Or 1...Bxh4 2.Qb4. 2.Qc2 Sometimes you have to minimize your losses and see if you can win back the material later!
5-11: 1...Bd7 Black counterattacks the bishop on b5, so White has no time to take the e-pawn. 2.Bxd7+ If 2.Nxe5 Bxb5. 2...Nbxd7 A very common defensive pattern often missed by beginners.
5-12: 1...Qa5 or any other queen move that attacks the knight for a second time.
5-13: 1...Qc6 A common pattern for saving attacked rooks. 2.Qc8+ Ke7 White is doing well, but it’s still a fight!
5-14: 1...Qh3+ Black is trying to force the king to a square where the queen can check on the long diagonal. 2.Kc2 No better is 2.Ke4, when Black can go for more with 2...f5+. 2...Qg2+ 3.Kb3 Qc6.
5-15: 1...0–0–0! attacks the rook and gets the bishop out of the pin.
5-16: 1.Nde2 1.Nce2?? Bxd4 and the overworked queen costs White a piece. Now if 1...Bxe2 2.Nxe2, then White stays a piece ahead.
5-17: 1...c5 1...Qb6 is not quite as good. Now the queen cannot maintain the pin on the knight. 2.Qxa4+ Nd7.
5-18: 1.Qg2 to guard against 1...Rh1+ and give up the queen for the two rooks is the best way.
5-19: 1.Ne7+ Kf8 2.Qxe5 If it makes you feel any better, the player on the Black side was World Champion Vladimir Kramnik!
5-20: 1.Bxe7 Qxe7 2.Nd2 This is easier to see if you don’t know that Black’s last move was ...dxe4 attacking the knight. When a piece is attacked, you should consider saving all your endangered pieces. This is another recurring pattern that is good to know.
5-21: 1.Bg5 Hits the knight and saves the fork on f3. 1.Bg3 is also possible.
5-22: 1...g6 A defensive counterattack results in a double attack. 2.Qxh6 and then Black captures the knight on d4.
5-23: 1.a4! Otherwise the bishop will remove the guard with ...Bxb5. But now that would introduce a new defender – the rook on a1!
5-24: 1.Ka6 Kb8 1...Kc6 2.Kxa7 will also draw. 2.b4 Ka8 3.b5 Kb8 self-stalemate!
5-25: 1.Ng5 The only move. Of course, White will still lose shortly unless Black makes a bad mistake. However, if your opponent is not a strong player, it’s worthwhile to hang in there!
5-26: 1.Kh1 is the only move to prevent immediate disaster. Black threatened ...Rc4 pinning the queen to the king, but if White had moved the queen, then Black had the discovered check ...Rxd3+ winning the bishop.
5-27: 1.Nf3 The knight does double duty: defend and block.
5-28: 1.b3 This blocks the bishop’s attack on a2 and saves the b-pawn from being captured.
5-29: White only loses a pawn with 1.Bf3 Bxf3 1...fxe5 2.Bxd5+. 2.Nxf3 Qxg4+ 3.Kh1.
5-30: 1...Bg4 Other have time to moves lose. The bishop needs to move with tempo, so the black queen can guard the rook and White doesn’t capture the knight on f6. 2.Qg3 dxe5 3.Qxe5+ Qe7 and by pinning the queen to the king, forcing a queen trade, Black is better.
5-31: 1.g4+! and Black resigned in the game Kasparov-Timman, Wijk aan Zee 2000, because of 1...Kxg4 2.Rc4+ Kf3 3.Rd4 Ke2 4.b6 d1Q 5.Rxd1 Kxd1 6.b7.
A common beginner error is to meet an attack with some random counterattack.
The Most Important Opening Principles
Move every piece once before you move any piece twice, unless there is a tactic:
“Family Fork” = a fork of the king, queen and one or more additional pieces