In World War II, the leader of Italy, Mussolini, decided to invade Greece from Albania. His army, known as one of the strongest in the world, expected to easily overcome this weak opponent. But they didn't. The Greek army shockingly pushed into Albania, conquering Italian territory. You're almost certainly wondering what on earth this has to do with chess. Let me explain.
Have you ever played an unsound attack and had the tables quickly turned on you, due to your opponent's sound defense? You probably have (I have many times). In this blog, we're going to learn how to play active defense and save your king - possibly the game.
I'll have several points showing just how to play active defense - a skill that will save you many chess games.
1. Don't be afraid to sacrifice.
When all seems lost, a defensive sacrifice can often save you the game. This can be especially effective if your opponent has already given up material, so that you aren't actually ending up 'down' on points. Causing insane complications can often save you the game. Let's see this illustrated in this first game.
After move 16, Black would have been condemned to a long, unpleasant, defensive struggle if he had not played the excellent e3. Move 20 also shows an important lesson. If you don't have enough play for the pawn, it makes sense to throw more material at the opponent if you can get a larger share of counterplay.
2. When under pressure, hit back!
Being ready to turn up the heat when under pressure can often be helpful throughout the game. At the beginning of this next game, White is down material, his knight is inactive, and his king is in a sticky spot. What better time to attack?
Once again, a preemptive strike pays off, as Black's winning advantage crumbles before Karpov's strong defense. But here is an important note:
Never let over-confidence lead you to underestimate your opponent's possibilities.
Let's look at one more game showing the importance of the defensive counterstrike.
3. Counter an attack with positional play.
To quote Jeremy Silman, "A wing attack can almost always be refuted by a central counterattack. Center play almost always beats wing play. But pawn play in the center is by no means the positional idea to counter an attack. In this game, Mortensen trades a bad bishop for a good one to play against White's space advantage.
So that's it for today - you've learned three tips on the art of active defense. Counter an attack with positional play, hit back, and don't be afraid to sacrifice.
That's it for today!
-Luke
