Defense

Repelling the opponent's offensive actions.

A player on the defense is, to some extent, forced to act according to the opponent's plans.

Methods of defense

Defense can be passive or active.

Passive defense limits a player to purely defensive measures, aimed at making things as hard as possible for the opponent.

Active defense, besides repelling immediate threats, involves preparing and delivering a counterblow at the most vulnerable point in the opponent's position. Counterattack is the most effective method of defense.

When defending, a player must take into account every available strategic and tactical resource: try to provoke weaknesses in the enemy position, seize any tactical chances that appear, and remember that every trade of the opponent's strong attacking piece weakens the pressure. Sometimes the idea of stalemate is used as a defensive resource.

In openings

The term "defense" has another meaning in chess as well. It is used as the name of many opening systems (for example, the Alekhine Defense, the Caro-Kann Defense, the Nimzo-Indian Defense, and so on).