Explanation

Removing the defender

When you are attacking a piece and your opponent defends it, it is sometimes possible to win material anyway by removing the defender. There are various ways you can remove a defender; the following diagram illustrates the most common:

White is attacking the knight on a4 with the bishop on b3, and the knight on e4 with the rook. Black is defending everything with the bishop on c6. That poor bishop has a lot of jobs to do! In chess, this is called being overloaded, and it means that Black's defensive construction is fragile. White can remove the defender in several ways:

1. White can capture the defender with 1.Nxc6. After Black recaptures with 1...bxc6, both knights are undefended, and White can play 2.Bxa4 or 2.Rxe4 to win a knight. This motif is called capturing the defender.
2. White can lure the defender away from protecting the knight on e4 with 1.Bxa4. After Black recaptures with 1...Bxa4, the bishop has been deflected away from defending the knight on e4, and White can play 2.Rxe4 to win a knight. This motif is called deflection. The deflection is possible because the bishop is overloaded with two defensive tasks.
3. Deflection also works the other way: 1.Rxe4 Bxe4 2.Bxa4, although this wins less material (two knights for a rook).
4. White can attack the defender with 1.b5. Then the bishop must run away to a safe square; for example, 1...Bd7. Now the knight on e4 is undefended, and White can play 2.Rxe4. This motif is called attacking the defender.
5. After 1.b5 Bd7, the pawn on b5 has also interfered with the defense of the other knight, and White can play 2.Bxa4 too. This motif is called interference.

In this level you will practice removing the defender by attacking it.

Examples

Black has just moved the knight to e5, where it is attacked by the rook on e8, but protected by the king on f6.
However, White can attack the defender with 1.Rf1+.
There is no way to escape with the king from the check and keep the knight protected. White is going to win the knight and the game.

Black has just moved the knight to d6, where it is attacked by the bishop on a3, but protected by the rook on c6.
White can win with an attack on the defender with 1.Nb8.
Black can counter-attack the knight with 1...Rc8, however 2.Bxd6 captures the knight and protects the bishop at the same time.

Sometimes it is possible to attack a piece and its defender with one move:

Black can play the surprising 1...Ne6!, which discovers an attack by Black's queen on White's bishop b5.
The bishop is protected by the knight on d4, which is now also attacked by Black's knight and queen.
If White runs away with the bishop, or protects it, Black can win the knight on d4.
If White exchanges the knight with 2.Nxe6, Black can reply with 2...Qxb5+. Because White has to deal with the check first, Black will also win the knight and the game.

How to spot an opportunity to attack a defender

When you are attacking a protected piece, always think about ways to remove the defence. If you can attack the defender, think ahead to whether this can lead to a win.

Related motifs

There are various ways to remove the defence. In addition to attacking the defender, other ways to remove the defence include capturing the defender, deflection, and interference.

It is also possible to attack the defender of a square, for example of a square where a checkmate, or a fork is possible. You can learn these combinations in the following levels: