Removing the guard
In short
Many combinations begin by eliminating the piece that defends a key square or another piece. A rook can be given for a knight that guards the king; a bishop can be traded for the knight defending a mating square.
By the end you can
- Identify key defenders
- Eliminate them by capture or exchange
The lesson
Many combinations begin by eliminating the piece that defends a key square or another piece. A rook can be given for a knight that guards the king; a bishop can be traded for the knight defending a mating square.
Ask for every critical square: which enemy piece controls it? If you remove that piece, what happens?
Key points to remember
- Find the guard of the key square
- Eliminate it, even at a cost
- Then exploit the undefended square
Examples
Show the solution
14. Nxf7 Nxf7 15. Bxg6 Nxe5 16. dxe5
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: capturing the defender puzzles, deflection puzzles.
Homework
15 puzzles on removing the guard.
More tactics lessons
- Hanging pieces: take them and don’t leave them (Novice)
- Double attacks and forks (Novice)
- Pins: pieces that cannot move (Novice)
- Forks with every piece (Class F)
- Using and breaking pins (Class F)
- Skewers and x-rays (Class F)