defence · recognise → explain → apply

Create a queenside threat while defending the king

The opponent’s army has shifted toward your king and left the other wing lightly defended.

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

Loading progress…

Notes and replay positions are saved. Practice games are temporary; export their PGN to keep them.

Choose an example

Giri,A – Ivanchuk,V

Legends of Chess Prelim · 2020.07.28 · 1/2-1/2

26... b5 · White to move

Jump to move

What to notice at 26... b5

Black begins queenside counterplay during a kingside attack; the recorded game is drawn.

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 ...b5 more than a waiting move?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

Make their attack leave something behind.

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 ↗