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Defending correctly

Submitted by PavleKosic on Wed, 07/08/2009 at 11:14am.

I know that its much more interesting to study wild attacks then the stubborn defense. I am an attacker who likes to attack even if I see that my combinations are dubious, and I won a countless of times even though I find refutation for my combinations myself, my opponents didn't found it while playing. I was playing against very good players, about equal chess strength as me who also failed to refute my combinations even though they were real pseudo attacks.

What dose it means pseudo attack? Well when I say that I mean attack that look pretty strong but in fact its not really dangerous unless your opponent doesn't blunder and then your pseudo attack is no longer pseudo attack.

How to recognise pseudo attacks? Well you really have to calculate and you have to be familiar with some basics of the defensive ideas. This tips are for guys under 1800 because I saw many of them failed to refute pseudo attacks of mine. Firstly if your opponent sac some material to get open lines, around your king, and you know that his attacking forces are small but powerful then its very good to give back some material for consolidation. Also in almost every non master attacks there is some key pieces which without them attack cant work, its very important that you see which piece is a critical piece on the board, and to play against that piece. Also your key defenders, you must know always which piece is holding your ground. Also, pins are very bad, I know that you all already knows that, and yet many little people have performed very logical thing, after for example the king side castle, when after your opponent create a rook lift and his rook is pinning your pawn in front of your king, just move your king away from the pin. Do not think that pin is not important, it will kill you.

I know that when talked this way some of you may be little confused, so I will put two games of mine, played here on chess.com online chess for which I think that are perfect examples of erors in defending the position which backfires on my opponents because I used their mistakes to create very strong attack and eventually to win.



Both of this games are in some fact strange, because I don't really play correspondence chess, and I wasn't really comfortable with the knowing that my opponent can analyzed every move for 3 days (although no one really does that). I play fast myself, I play fast in correspondence chess also which is not good, but its a habit and I cant get rid of it.

First game was against a guy who had better rating then me for 70 points when we started, but in the meantime he lost some games, and I won some, so in fact now I got better rating then him for over 100 points. Never the less I was impatient and I attacked, he made a mistake while defending and I won the game by resignation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we can see he start his defensive moves very nicely, then he could took my bishop with his pawn on move 23. but he thought that he could go to some complications after I play 23.Rxf3 so he rejected a bishop, which I also think that is correct move, but then on move 24. he should have played Rxe5 and my attack would be dead stopped, my opponent would be way ahead in material, and my possible attacks after that move just couldn't worked, but he made a mistake and I won the game. Lesson is give up some material for consolidation, because my bishops were key attackers, in this position if he would get rid of one of my bishops, I would have no attack.




Next game is against a guy who was rated about 1880 and his rating didn't change drastically, in the matter of fact, he maintained his rating even after the lost game against me (and I was in the time of playing the game rated about 1770). And also this game is very special because its my best win so far (on chess.com) , so its kind of dear to me. He was also only guy over 1800 against I was playing until this game, so again I was a kind of impatient, and I wanted to attack. My entire game was very aggressive, and this game is quite different then previous game. In this game my attack was a real deal, I had very, very nice opportunities on the king side and in this game my opponent made subtle errors which cost him a position, and then he made an only blunder of the game on move 24, after which I won the game pretty nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that both games were preety instructive, and that they are perfect examples of bad defending, I hope that all of you guys who read this articles are satisfied with content of an article. This article is primary made for guys under 1800, if you have any idea for a new article or question I would be glad to answer. I hope that you have enjoyed, every commment is welcomed.

» posted in Middlegame
 

Comments:

by madpawn - 2 years ago
London England
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 1039

I think that having read your article, I can afford to be a little more stoic when I am under heavy attack. Thanks for posting.

by gramps33 - 2 years ago
Detroit United States
Member Since: Apr 2009
Member Points: 1905

Nice play.

by Kasparyan - 2 years ago
India
Member Since: May 2009
Member Points: 7

Good games, very instructive...Just want to ask though. Is english your second language?

by bolshevikhellraiser - 2 years ago
Louisiana United States
Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 501

on the second game i thought r to h6 was very interesting but if i was white on move 14 i would of moved my bishop back to c1 attacking the rook and try to trap the rook while developing my bishops instead of developing the queen on c2

by anmol - 2 years ago
new delhi India
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 128

nice article .. would really like a game with you

by Castletown - 2 years ago
Pittsburgh United States
Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 42

I must say i really liked the article! I enjoyed your 2nd game very much.

by PavleKosic - 2 years ago
Belgrade Serbia
Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 309

Yes but also in the game if he would took 24 Rxe5 he would have still great material adventige and I could do nothing. I agree white should won this game, but I personaly like to play on safe when I am better with material

by Sothilde - 2 years ago
Groningen Netherlands
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 256

No offence taken :)

I agree white has to be carefull for a couple of moves, but he has such a huge material advantage that taking home the full point would not be much of a problem. Maybe white overlooked Qe4 in your game, which I think is a critical move.

by PavleKosic - 2 years ago
Belgrade Serbia
Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 309

To Sothilde:

Sorry man, its a mistake, I read something complitly diferent. I was working for over then 10 hours. Sorry for emotional reaction. Yeah, I know that he probably good go with bishop takes, but it would be a little more complicated. I will post only one variation with that posibility as you said. And again sorry, I read something else ( something like a reading blindes).

by Sothilde - 2 years ago
Groningen Netherlands
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 256

In the first game you said it is correct that white rejected the bishop on move 23, but I think he is perfectly fine if he just takes it after 23...Rxf3 24.Qe4. After a queentrade or Qh5 white can just start pushing his d and e pawns and win easely, as blacks king is also completely exposed. Besides that, nice article.

Edit: Fixed typo

by Mikhail-Tal - 2 years ago
Latvia
Member Since: Apr 2009
Member Points: 98

good articles ! nice , it worths the time you spent on it ..

by LYCAN148 - 2 years ago
Auckland New Zealand
Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 1417

in the second game the rook lift is called the "budapest rook"

nice article btw

by PavleKosic - 2 years ago
Belgrade Serbia
Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 309

Yes, I am little embarassed, but you are apsolutely right, I can take his queen, but its not a forced mate, thanks, I didnt even consider it, I looked variations by checking and by Qd5, I apologyze, I would win anyway, but definitly it would not be forced mate. Ok, I give next corection, definitly best variation after my rook sac would be just to take his queen and going to endgame. I calculated bad. Sorry for all of you who are reading this. Its not a forced mate, it is winning but its not forced. Sorry again.

by khpa21 - 2 years ago
Minnesota United States
Member Since: Mar 2009
Member Points: 1234

Fritz gives a different win for Black in the second game than what you described. 28. Kg1 Qg4+ 29. Kf1 Rd7! compels White to sacrifice the queen to prevent ...Rd1 mate and leads to a winning endgame for Black.

 

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