defence · recognise → explain → apply

Retreat to keep a valuable attacker alive

Your queen is attacked by a pawn, but still has useful work to do.

Explanation styleChoose any style. Age is not playing strength; no birth date is needed.

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Choose an example

Caruana,F – Nepomniachtchi,I

FTX Crypto Cup KO 2021 · 2021.05.26 · 1/2-1/2

19... Qa6 · White to move

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What to notice at 19... Qa6

After 19.b3 attacks Qa4, ...Qa6 keeps the queen safe and permits the queen exchange that follows.

A legally replayed historical example, not a claim that every move is best. A game’s result does not prove every defensive position was lost or drawn.

Game source ↗

Your thinking first

Name the signal, choose a plan, and test the opponent’s most challenging response.

What do you notice?What is your plan, and why?How could the opponent resist?

Recall and explain

1. Why is the queen’s safety urgent after 19.b3?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

Retreat with a job.

Teach this to a friend in one minute. Then return to a different example and look for the same signal without being told its name.

Reflect and revisit

This is your self-assessment, not an engine grade or a promise of mastery.

Connect the ideas

Practise pawn transformations →

Sources and further reading

Original LumaChess teaching and game analysis. Topic references are credited below; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Exeter Chess Club — Planning ↗