A Plan of Defense
Methods of Defense
* Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means
taking the offensive.” ~ Sun Tzu
The first important principle of defense is to understand your opponent's threats
and intentions. Only after this, is it possible to counter the opponent's plan by
means of counter-attacking, neutralizing attackers, bringing more defenders and
so on.
Let's examine the variety of defensive options available to the defender as
discussed by Bellin and Ponzetto:
Counterattack
This is usually employed when players’ plans develop in different sectors. A typical
case is that of games where castling takes place on opposite sides. The game
becomes a race to land a body blow first and defensive moves in the sector under
attack have to be weighed on the finest of scales as they all get in the way of the
counterattack.
Countering
These are straightforward attempts to prevent realization of a plan, namely to
prevent the opponent achieving his aim. For example, the attacker occupies an
open file and the defender counters this by also occupying the file, or the attacker
pins a piece and the defender unpins it. These typical defensive maneuvers pursue
the principle of countering.
Prophylaxis
This covers all defensive moves that prevent attacking threats, rendering them
unrealizable or ineffective. If, for example, the attacker threatens to pin the knight
on f6 against the queen on d8 by playing Bg5, the defender may operate
prophylactic defense by playing ...h6 or by removing the knight from {6 or the
queen from the d8-h4 diagonal. Certain well-known strategic principles meet the
criterion of prophylactic defense. For instance, the overprotection of a square or
the opening of the center used as a prophylactic measure against a possible flank
attack.
Simplification
This is a very common defensive method and is often employed by Black right
from the opening. The effect is to pare down the attacking forces. This method can
be strategically recommended especially in positions in which the defender is
cramped for such positions are easier to defend when there are fewer pieces on
the board. Overcrowding of the defender's troops may easily lead to the collapse
of the position.Blockade
Nimzovich's favorite method, he built an entire defensive philosophy around it. The
effect of a blockading strategy, whether applied in its purest form against (say)
passed pawn, or used simply to keep lines closed. Involves reducing the dynamism
of the attacker's pieces by preventing them penetrating the defender's territory.
Change in Structure
Changing the pawn structure is a little like changing cards at poker: all plans have
to be looked at again and weighed in the light of the new situation on the board.
The attacker 's main wish is to be able to pursue his plan in the desired direction.
Having to cope with a different strategic structure thus causes him a major mental
upset which may develop into confusion if he is short of time. By this method, the
defender can try to distract his opponent from the most important objective, or
bring about a strategic alteration that is favorable to him even at the cost of
material sacrifice. In such cases the attacker's task is a delicate one because it
demands some sort of review if not a total change in plan
The King and Self-defense
This is how we define all those methods of defense in which the king assumes an
important role, e.g. by delaying castling or keeping the king in the center so as not,
to offer the attacker a specific object of attack. Another example of this defensive
method is seen in the ‘king's march’, a strategic maneuver whose usual purpose is
to remove the king from the hot spot and transfer him somewhere safer.