Defense: protecting

Sometimes you cannot move a piece that is under attack.
If that’s the case, you have to do something else to defend it.
In this lesson, you learn how to defend your piece by protecting it.

Look at the example.
Black’s bishop attacks the white knight.
The knight can’t move to a safe square.
Should the knight move to one of the red squares, Black’s other bishop will capture it.
White would lose three points.

So, what is the right thing to do, then?
Let’s have the white rook defend the knight!
By moving to the first row, it guards and protects the knight.
Black can still capture the knight, but then the rook takes the bishop.
That’s not so bad.
A knight and a bishop are worth the same. You don’t lose points.

What do you have to do?
Defend a piece that is under attack.
First, look for the piece that is threatened. Which of your pieces is in danger of being captured?
Then, think of a way to protect this piece with one of you other pieces.
If you do it right your piece will not be taken.