FoxyChess › Tactics › Capturing the Defender
Capturing the Defender
Take or exchange off the piece that is guarding an important square or piece, and the target is left undefended. Also called removing the defender.
How to spot it
Find the piece that is holding your opponent's position together: the knight on f6 guarding h7, the rook guarding the back rank, the bishop covering a key square. Then look for a way to capture or exchange it, even at the cost of a small sacrifice.
A worked example
The knight on f6 is the only defender of h7. 1.Bxf6 removes it; after 1…Bxf6 (or 1…gxf6) the queen and bishop mate with 2.Qxh7#. Black's only way out is 1…h6, staying a piece down.
Why it works
Attacks don't need more attackers if the defenders can be taken away. Removing the defender turns a square that was held into a square that is lost, and it is the most reliable way to crack a castled position.
How to defend against it
Know which of your pieces are defending what. If a single knight is all that stands between your king and an attack, give that square a second defender, or exchange the attacking pieces before the defender can be removed.
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