Why You Hate Defense (And How to Fix It)
Do you enjoy defending?
Most chess players would definitely say no! Playing defense feels like suffering sometimes.
But... it's one of the most underrated skills in chess. If you hate being attacked, you are going to feel miserable in probably half of your games.
Ok, but what if you can turn surviving into frustrating your opponents?
Passive Defense is Not Good
Most adult improvers think defense means building a bunker and hiding until the storm passes. This can lead to a slow death. The best defenders in history use Active Defense.
Active Defense means being aware that most attacks come with some weaknesses in your opponent's position. Every pawn push creates a weakness. Every piece sacrifice loses material for the endgame.
Your job is to highlight these weaknesses at all costs.
Example: Fighting Fire with Fire
In my new course, one of the games we analyze is a game between Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen. Nakamura launched a massive kingside pawn storm with the g- and h-pawns.
Many players would panic and play defensive moves that potentially create new targets for the attack. Magnus did the opposite! He ignored the kingside attack and launched a violent counter-attack on the other side of the board. He realized that the best defense is often offense.
Magnus won because he was faster.
Becoming Unbreakable
If you want to stop giving up points in saveable positions, you need a new toolkit. You need to master the four pillars of modern defense.
- Prophylaxis: Stopping the threat before it happens
- King Safety: Learning when to use your king moves
- Counter-Attack: Striking back in the center or on the other flank
- Fortresses: Saving half-points in "lost" endgames
New Course: The Masterclass on Active Defense
I created my new course, Unbreakable, to teach exactly this. It features 16 analyzed master games that turn defense from a weakness into a weapon.
It includes 16 video lessons, annotated PGNs, and quizzes.
For the Chess.com community, you can use the code DEFENSE to save $10 off in the next 48 hours.
🛡️ Click here to check out the course 🛡️
Stop hoping your opponent blunders and start frustrating them with Active Defense.
