Defense Flashcards
Black to play and save the knight
5-1: 1…Ne5 and the knight escapes because 2.dxe5 is illegal, thanks to the pinned d-pawn. It may lose a pawn after 2.Nxe5 dxe5 3.Qxe5, but Black remains ahead.
White to play and save a piece
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.
Black to play and save a piece (If the bishop moves, then 2.Nxc7+ wins the rook).
5-3: 1…c6 1…Ne7 also works, but the text move is somewhat better. 2.Ne3 Be7.
Black to play and win back his piece
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!
White to play and save a piece
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.
Black to play: Why can’te Black win a piece with …Bxc3 and …Qxe2?
5-6: 1…Bxc3? This removes the guard, but…2.Qxc3 Qxe2?? 3.Nh6#.
White to play and save a piece
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.
Black to play and not lose his bishop
5-8: 1…Nc6 blocks the check and guards the bishop. This is another common pattern that you should learn to recognize quickly.
Black to play and not lose material
5-9: 1…Qxd2 2.Nxe7+ This Zwishenzug doesn’t win the exchange, but trades two pieces for a rook and a pawn. 2…Rxe7 3.Rxd2 bxc4 and material is at least equal.
White to play and only lose a piece, not his queen
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!
Black to play and save the e-pawn
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.
Black to play and save a piece
5-12: 1…Qa5 or any other queen move that attacks the knight for a second time.
Black is in bad shape, but he can save the rook – how?
5-13: 1…Qc6 A common pattern for saving attacked rooks. 2.Qc8+ Ke7 White is doing well, but it’s still a fight!
Black stops mate and save the queen
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.
Black to play and not lose a piece
5-15: 1…o-o-o! attacks the rook and gets the bishop out of the pin.
White to play and not lose material (Black has just played a discovered check)
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.
Black to play and save his knight
5-17: 1…c5 1…Qb6 is not quite as good. Now the queen cannot maintain the pin on the knight. 2.Qxa4+ Nd7.
White to play and not lose material
5-18: 1.Qg2 to guard against 1…Rh1+ and give up the queen for the two rooks is the best way.
White to play and win Black’s knight, while saving his own
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!
White to play and not lose a piece
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.
White to play and not lose more than a pawn
5-21: 1.Bg5 Hits the knight and saves the fork on f3. 1.Bg3 is also possible.
Black to play and win
5-22: 1…g6 A defensive counterattack results in a double attack. 2.Qxh6 and then Black captures the knight on d4.
White to play and not lose the bishop
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!
White to play and draw
5-24: 1.Ka6 Kb8 1…Kc6 2.Kxa7 will also draw. 2.b4 Ka8 3.b5 Kb8 self-stalemate!
White avoids mate, but he’s in trouble.
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!
White to play and not lose a piece
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 and the discovered check …Rxd3+ winning the bishop.
White to play and save the g-pawn and bishop
5-27: 1.Nf3 The knight does double duty: defend and block.
White to play and save his pawns
5-28: 1.b3 This blocks the bishop’s attack on a2 and saves the b-pawn from being captured.
White to play and not lose a piece
5-29: White only loses a pawn with 1.Bf3 Bxf3 1…fxe5 2.Bxd5+. 2.Nxf3 Qxg4+ 3.Kh1.
Black to play and save the knight, the rook, and the mate on f7!
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.
White to play and stop the pawn
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.
