"Sometimes the best defence is the best defence." – Garry Kasparov

"The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy." – Sun Tzu

"Hey baby
There ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down" – Tom Petty

What you will learn

In the Defence course, you learn to deal with your opponent’s threats and to avoid moves that would allow tactics against you.

Defence is not only about surviving bad positions. It is also about staying alert, spotting danger in time, and choosing moves that do not leave tactical opportunities behind.

The following types of defensive situations are included:

Defending pieces

This builds on what you learned about defending pieces in Fundamentals. New defensive methods are introduced, including counterattacks. You will also have to watch out for and avoid your opponent’s tactics.

Defending against check

This builds on what you learned about defending against check in Fundamentals. Here you must also be careful not to walk into tactics or checkmate threats.

Defending against checkmate

Learn the different ways to defend against a checkmate threat.

Defending against promotion

Stop your opponent’s passed pawn before it queens.

Stalemate

Save the game by forcing a stalemate.

Defending against tactics

Defend against tactical threats such as forks, pins, and trapped pieces.

Perpetual check

Learn how to achieve a perpetual check and save the game with a draw.

How to defend against threats and avoid your opponent's tactics

On every move in your games, you should ask yourself what your opponent is threatening. Imagine it were your opponent’s turn: are there any tactics they could use straight away? If so, that is a threat, and you need to deal with it now.

But there is a second danger as well. Even if your opponent is not threatening anything yet, your own move might allow a tactic that was not there before. Good defence means not only stopping existing threats, but also avoiding moves that create new tactical chances for your opponent.

These two situations are illustrated in the following diagrams:

In the first diagram, it is Black’s turn to move. To identify threats, imagine it were White’s turn instead. White could play Nxc7+, forking the king and rook, so that is the threat you must deal with.

Black should defend with 1...Na6, protecting the square where the fork is threatened. This is a basic but essential defensive skill: notice the tactic before it happens, and stop it in time.

In the second diagram, it is White’s turn to move. You might consider capturing the pawn with 1.Nxe5. But before making the move, you should visualize the position that would appear afterwards and ask whether your move allows any new tactics.

In this case, after 1.Nxe5, Black would have the queen fork 1...Qa5+, and White would lose the knight. This tactic was not threatened in the starting position, but it would be enabled by White’s move. So White should avoid 1.Nxe5? and choose something safer instead, for example 1.c4.

The solution page for defence puzzles

The solution page for defence puzzles is especially helpful. It always shows the most important practical points:

• The threats in the starting position.
• The moves you should avoid and how they are refuted.
• How the correct defence holds up against the threats.

Examples

Black has just played the queen fork Qc6, attacking the unprotected rook on h1 and the knight on c3. White cannot save both pieces in any obvious way.

The only defence is 1.Rd1, creating a counterattack on the black rook. If Black trades rooks with 1...Rxd1, the knight recaptures with 2.Nxd1 and escapes. And if Black moves the rook away, White gains time to protect the knight, for example: 1...Ra8 attacking the queen, while the knight is still under attack 2.Qd4 (or 2.Qe3).

This is a typical defensive resource: instead of passively defending against the threat, you answer it with a threat of your own.

Black is up a bishop and a pawn, but White can still escape with a surprising stalemate: 1.Rxh5+! Qxh5 2.Qg7+! Kxg7 stalemate.

Defence is not always about saving material or holding the position together move by move. Sometimes the right idea is to force a completely different result — and save the game at the last moment.

The black queen is attacked by the rooks and appears to have two safe squares: h7 and f7. But only one of them really works.

If Black plays 1...Qf7?, White can force checkmate with 2.Qh8+ Qg8 3.Qxg8#. Therefore 1...Qh7 is the only correct defence.

This is another important defensive habit: do not just look for legal or seemingly safe moves — make sure your choice does not run into a tactical refutation.

Intended audience

You should have mastered Fundamentals before starting the Defence course. Some of the levels also build on Tactics and Checkmates. The Puzzle Academy skill tree makes sure you have the required foundation before you attempt a new defensive method, so if you are reading this guide, you should be ready to begin.

The average rating of the Defence levels is between 1300 and 1700. If you want to get very good and score above 90% on the higher levels, Defence can remain useful practice up to about 2100 strength (candidate master).