Planning Defense
Defense is often harder to plan that an attack because it requires you to find a potential attack to defend against. And nobody wants to contemplate the various ways in which an opponent can destroy your position.
Nevertheless, it pays off to sniff out potential attacks on your position. If you make ready for the enemy attack, it probably won't overwhelm you. So here are three good defensive plans you can use when weathering a storm.
Trade pieces.
Bring up extra defenders.
Have a good attack.
Trade Pieces
When there are too many enemy pieces swarming about your king, get rid of some of them. Trading your opponent's attacking pieces is one of the best ways to stop her attack. Here is an example:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4.
White has given up a pawn to get more pieces into play.
4…. Bc5 5. Ng5.
White now attacks the f7-square, but fails to get a new piece into play.
5…. Nh6 6. Qh5 Qe7.
White now recovers his pawn, but he has to trade two pieces in order to do it, and that breaks the attack.
7. Bxf7+ Nxf7 8. Nxf7 Qxf7 9. Qxc5 d6.
White has no attack. In fact, Black is attacking the lone White piece that's in play and is getting ready to bring still more pieces into play himself.
The greatest defenders could also wield powerful attacks. How could it be otherwise? In order to be able to put up a good defense, you have to be able to see the opponent's attack coming many moves in advance, perhaps before your opponent spies it! And if you can see attacks developing that far in advance, you will certainly be able to produce a few good attacks yourself.
Bring up Extra Defenders
This is often a good way to put down a building attack. It stands to reason: You don't try to make a basket in basketball with a two-on-five break. That's backward. So if you surround your king with many defenders, he will be very difficult to get at.
Here is an example:
Black to move. White threatens checkmate on h7.
Black needs extra defenders, so he looks at 1…. Be4. Since this loses the bishop, he has to try something else. Then he finds 1…. Qd3!, which adds an extra defender to h7 while threatening checkmate on f1.
2. Kg1 Qg6.
Black is ready to trade White's attacking queen for his own defender.
Have a Good Attack
An old sports saying that has a lot to recommend it is “The best defense is a good attack.” This often applies in chess as well. Take a look at the following famous combination played by Adolf Anderssen against Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851 (ever since dubbed the immortal game).
White to move. White controls the center and has more pieces in play—by a lot! So instead of defending the en prise rook he builds up the attack.
18. Bd6! Qxa1+ 19. Ke2 Bxg1.
Now White is out of rooks, but still has four pieces on the attack while Black didn't bring out any more pieces or bring more defenders to his king.
20. e5 Na6 21. Nxg7+ Kd8.
White now forces checkmate in two moves.
22. Qf6+! Nxf6 23. Be7 checkmate.
When defending by attacking, it is essential that you make sure what you are going after is worth what you are giving up. It does no good to defend an attack on your queen by attacking an enemy rook, unless there is more to your attack. Checkmating attacks, threats to promote a pawn or two, and massive buildup of your attacking force are often worth a lot. When it comes to defending against an attack on one piece by attacking another, usually the deciding factor is what other aspects of the positions change, such as the control of the center or who has more pieces in play.
