TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • TCW Academy
    • Chess-Teacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman Chess Lab
    • Foxy Chess
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
    • Rules Chess Strategies
    • Others
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

Improve Your Defense: The Wandering King

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
11.22.2019
Category: Middle Game
Tags: counterplay, defense, improve defense, king, middlegame, Petrosian, Queenside, win the game
Improve Your Defense: The Wandering King

We have been talking a lot about attacking and finding active ideas in your games, but very little about how to defend and put up a good resistance when under pressure. Many players train their tactical skills, but very few know that defense can be trained in a similar way. Perhaps this is the reason why many players are very good in attack, but their position tends to tumble down rather quickly when they find themselves under pressure.

It’s true; in a practical game it is very difficult to find good moves when you find yourself constantly under pressure, but if your train yourself for this you will definitely find it easier to survive. There are players who are very good at this – for example Kortchnoj or Karjakin – but not everybody has a good sense for defense.

We have previously given you a few tips on what you should be looking for and how you can improve your defensive skills, but in this article, we are going to take a look at some concrete defensive ideas.

You can find yourself under pressure in many ways during a game – for example a flank attack, central domination or space advantage for your opponent, but I believe that we can all agree that one of the most frightening attacks is that against our monarch. Even if nothing is really happening, we sometimes start seeing ghosts and go passive without any good reason.

  • But, what if the attack is for real?
  • What is a good way to defend in such cases?

They say that a flank attack should be answered with an attack in the center, but this solution does not work in all cases. In this article, we are going to look at a less popular way of escaping the attack – the king flight.

When the king is no longer safer on one flank, it is sometimes a good idea to hide on the opposite one.

Let’s take the following diagram:

improve your defense

Diez del Corral, J – Petrosian, T, Palma de Mallorca 1969

Black to play

Black is doing fine in this position, but it looks like this won’t be for long, as white is threatening to start an unpleasant attack on the kingside by means of Qf4-g5 followed by h4-h5.

With the h file open, black’s chances of survival don’t look very optimistic. This is the kind of moment where any of us could start panicking, realizing that there is not much counterplay black can play for, while white’s plan seems very simple and difficult to stop. It is very important to keep your calm and cold blood in this type of position and consider well every candidate move.

Petrosian found a very simple answer to this problem – transfer the king to the other flank, where white has very little pieces, while black is well-defended. It will be more difficult for his opponent to regroup his pieces and unfold an attack there. This idea is only possible because the center is closed and the king’s path to the queenside is safe.

The endgame favors black thanks to his better knight versus white’s bad bishop on e3 and his queenside majority. It is interesting to note, though, that the game was decided on the kingside – only that actions were taken against the white king instead. Once the black king reaches b7, there are always ideas of opening the files by means of g5 and f4, when it is white who has to worry about the safety of his monarch.

See how Petrosian employed this idea and eventually managed to win the game:

The idea of a king transfer to the other flank can be very efficient when defending, but it can usually be put in practice only if the center is closed.

There are many interesting games where this plan is used and we invite you to give it a deeper study.

Thank you for reading!

Find this post useful? Share it?
Become a Chess Player You've Meant to Be!
TCW Academy is the fast, fun & convenient way to become a MUCH better chess player.
Join Academy Today!

Related Posts

  • Exchange Sacrifice for Defensive PurposesExchange Sacrifice for Defensive Purposes
  • Turn Your King into a Super-WeaponTurn Your King into a Super-Weapon
  • 5 Things to Know: The Queenside Pawn Majority5 Things to Know: The Queenside Pawn Majority
Related Products
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Login
2 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Ashish
11.22.2019 22:09

Thank you been waiting for your new post

0
Reply
Yury Markushin
Author
Reply to  Ashish
11.23.2019 06:16

You are very welcome, Ashish! More great articles are coming!

0
Reply
Join the FREE Road to 2200 Masterclass (and learn how to Attack Like a Chess Master)
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
TheChessWorld.com
http://pogonina.com/
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
  • Play Computer
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Money Back PayPal SSL Comodo
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us [email protected]
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2023 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz