Swap all the pawns off, but avoid exchanging the other pieces. Activate your pieces, to generate threats and make it harder for your opponent to finish you off.. Look for opportunities to force a draw by 3-move repetition or achieve stalemate.
How do you hold a game, when down a minor piece?
Sort:
Aug 24, 2018
0
#3
Often you should try to complicate the game if you still have a lot of material.
The idea is to make the game difficult to play so that tactics are possible.
A minor piece is actually a lot, but you should try to see it as a kind of gambit where you have compensations.
The thing is that sometimes the player who won material had his pieces somehow uncoordinated after a combination, so that the opponent can sometimes explore this.
The idea is to make the game difficult to play so that tactics are possible.
A minor piece is actually a lot, but you should try to see it as a kind of gambit where you have compensations.
The thing is that sometimes the player who won material had his pieces somehow uncoordinated after a combination, so that the opponent can sometimes explore this.
Aug 24, 2018
0
#4
If you're down a lot of material it's even more critical that 100% of your pieces (meaning non-pawns and not your king) are doing something.
Usually you choose between 100% defense (make a fortress) or 100% attack.
Because all of your pieces need to work, it might take some time to prepare, but that's pretty much the idea of it.
You dont lol.
Instead dont lose a minor piece, better yet, dont play chess. Stay safe
Aug 24, 2018
0
#6
NichtGut wrote:
...dont play chess. Stay safe.
Don't play chess? Because it isn't safe? Go to ChessKid.com, they say they're 100% safe!
Your ego is no longer safe as soon as you make the first move.
I absolutely love doing my best to try to force stalemate if i've dropped too much material to hold a draw elsewise but that isn't the soundest of practice I think #4 has the way to go. Keep pieces active regardless of how you proceed, the more you can synergise your pieces the better the result will be. Be ready to capitalize on any mistakes by your opponent as they might get relaxed being a piece up!
Etherized hat geschrieben:
I absolutely love doing my best to try to force stalemate if i've dropped too much material to hold a draw elsewise but that isn't the soundest of practice I think #4 has the way to go. Keep pieces active regardless of how you proceed, the more you can synergise your pieces the better the result will be. Be ready to capitalize on any mistakes by your opponent as they might get relaxed being a piece up!
You do realize stalemate is a myth right?
Aug 24, 2018
0
#10
NichtGut wrote:
Your ego is no longer safe as soon as you make the first move.
Oh! So if you don't think chess is safe and think that stalemate is a myth, join Chess.com!
Aug 24, 2018
0
#11
NichtGut wrote:
Your ego is no longer safe as soon as you make the first move.
Sure it is!
After you lose you can come to the chess.com forums and post some ridiculous conspiracy theory about how all the 1200s are sandbagging and also using stockfish, but only against you and no one else 
Aug 24, 2018
0
#12
Preggo_Basashi wrote:
NichtGut wrote:
Your ego is no longer safe as soon as you make the first move.
Sure it is!
After you lose you can come to the chess.com forums and post some ridiculous conspiracy theory about how all the 1200s are sandbagging and also using stockfish, but only against you and no one else
I feel bad for @NichtGut, they're spending time saying why chess is bad when they have better things to do!
Preggo_Basashi hat geschrieben:
NichtGut wrote:
Your ego is no longer safe as soon as you make the first move.
Sure it is!
After you lose you can come to the chess.com forums and post some ridiculous conspiracy theory about how all the 1200s are sandbagging and also using stockfish, but only against you and no one else
Works for the foolish but when your narcissism reaches intellectual levels like in my case those excuses dont work anymore.
I only play against computers because its like playing against me. I created them, I control them. I lose against my own creation, that doesnt hurt my ego.
Aug 24, 2018
0
#15
If I am down a piece (and not resigning), I play actively. I try to complicate the position and coordinate my pieces into something (usually an attack); sometimes I may even try to force an unsound attack hoping that complications/initiative may allow me to get compensation for the material deficit.
Of course, if you are lost (down a piece or even just a pawn WITHOUT compensation) then just resign.
Often times though I try to attack/take initiative/complicate the position etc. before I resign -and only if this fails, then do I resign. I prefer to try to fight for a win; I might as well go down swinging with fireworks if I lose. If my last ditch stand succeeds, then I may get "back into the game" (ideally, recovering the material, or decent compensation).
Keep in mindthough that this is IF I am down material AND continuing the game; I have played many opponents where I simply resigned out of respect in these positions - there is no need to waste both of our time.
The key to this recovery is usually just justifying the material lost, but justification may take many forms: regaining the material, an attack on the King, a strong initiative (usually in such attack), or even the sheer psychology of the unsound follow-up with a poker face in a complex setup. I have won many games from losing positions, but this is probably because I have gotten better at choosing which positions I think I can turn around from, and which games I can just resign (winning a lot has to do with knowing what I can and what I can't do - not just dragging every game out).
Aug 24, 2018
0
#16
All these ideas are exceptional.
And, worst case scenario, you have to do the thing everyone complains about. You have to try to win on time.
And, worst case scenario, you have to do the thing everyone complains about. You have to try to win on time.
hitthepin hat geschrieben:
All these ideas are exceptional.
And, worst case scenario, you have to do the thing everyone complains about. You have to try to win on time.
And, worst case scenario, you have to do the thing everyone complains about. You have to try to win on time.
Purest of forms to win a game and crush someones ego.
Aug 31, 2018
0
#18
Just played this game.
At no point after losing the piece did I have a meaningful threat, until the very very end when my opponent blundered into checkmate. Very lucky 
Aug 31, 2018
0
#19
The number one answer to surviving after blundering a piece is:
Willpower. If you have blundered a piece, decide if there is enough left in the position to fight on. Then, get on with the fighting. Be creative, use all of your technical and tactical nous. But most importantly, fight.
Calan54 wrote:
If you ever find yourself down say a knight or bishop, what strategies do you employ in order to hold a draw?
I once heard Ben Finegold say in order to beat a GM you probably have to beat him 4 or 5 times.
Meaning they don't fold their tent and go home because of a bad move or a setback. They keep fighting and keep attacking and keep putting pressure on you.
Play with that attitude. Keep attacking. Complicate and try to put your opponent under pressure.
Also, at my lowly level, people don't tend to know how to play endgames very well. They usually know their openings and are good in the middle game but when it gets to the endgame they don't really know what to do.
Also, as long as you have a queen, you have a chance for a mating attack or perpetual check. So whatever you do, don't trade off your queen unless you have no possible choice.
If you ever find yourself down say a knight or bishop, what strategies do you employ in order to hold a draw?