Chess Tactics: Removing The Defender

The idea of removing the defender in Chess is simple: an important piece or square is defended by a piece, the defender. Removing the defender gives you the ability to take the important piece or occupy the important square.

Take a close look at this position.
The black Knight is threatened by the white Rook, but at the same time protected by the black Rook. So Black has everything under control, right ?

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a

1

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Not quite, White simply wins a Knight by removing the defender !

1..Rxf6gxf6

2..Rxb6

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a

1

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

There are few ideas that are simpler than this: one enemy piece protects something, you capture the enemy piece, and that something becomes unprotected.

I will test your understanding of this concept with a few puzzles. For this quiz and the next ones, keep the “Removing the defender” idea in mind.

Here, what do you play with White ?

SEE SOLUTION

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a

1

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Another example. The black Knight in c4 is only defended by the Queen. What do you play ?

SEE SOLUTION

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a

1

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Here also there is an opportunity for Black. The white Queen is defended only by the Knight on c3. Is there a way to take advantage of it ?

SEE SOLUTION

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

h

8

g

f

e

d

c

b

a

The setup can be more complex and you can combine the idea of removing the defender with other threats, like a fork, a pin or a discovered attack. Look at the following example combining this idea with a skewer.

Here, Black would love to play 1... Re2+, a strong skewer forcing the King to move away, followed by 2... Rxa2.
But right now , The Knight on f4 protects e2...

SEE SOLUTION

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

h

8

g

f

e

d

c

b

a

It is common to combine several tactical patterns together to get an advantage. As you progress with your understanding of Chess, your tactical combinations will become more and more complex. Your first shots will be simple forks. Then you will start playing elaborate tactics combining several different ideas, like the last one.

Conclusion

Removing the defender may seem trivial: if an important square or piece is controlled by the opponent, you can simply exchange the protecting piece. Yet this pattern does not always come naturally to mind. It is nevertheless a very useful and simple tactic to win material, used in many top level games. Do not overlook it !