Home Openings Course Traps

Train

Master Course Openings Traps Middlegame Endgame Theory Games

For you

Weaknesses Common positions

Account

Removing the Defender: chess tactic

Remove the defender, then take the real target

Trade the defender, and the target's free for the taking.

Before attacking a defended piece, ask if its defender can be removed.
One trade often opens a second capture elsewhere.
Defenders guarding two pieces are the best targets.

Removing the Defender

TACTIC · LEVEL 3

Removing the Defender

Remove the defender, then take the real target

Solve Lesson · Learn → Drill

Remove the Defender

10 engine-verified positions, 3 guided, then solve cold.

Step 1 of 2

Removing the Defender

The idea

1.Rook captures on d7 (Rxd7)

Before attacking a defended piece, ask if its defender can be removed.

The idea

2.Rook captures on e8, check (Rxe8+)

Rook captures on e8, check (Rxe8+)

The idea

1.Rook captures on d7 (Rxd7)

Before attacking a defended piece, ask if its defender can be removed.

Take the bishop with the rook: defender of e8 is gone.

Clean run

Learn · 0/2

Learn

Recall

2 more clean runs (at any point) to reach Recall.

Move 1 of 30%

0/2

Black's bishop on d7 defends the rook on e8. Remove the defender first.

The idea

1.Rook captures on d7 (Rxd7)

Before attacking a defended piece, ask if its defender can be removed.

The idea

2.Rook captures on e8, check (Rxe8+)

Rook captures on e8, check (Rxe8+)

The idea

1.Rook captures on d7 (Rxd7)

Before attacking a defended piece, ask if its defender can be removed.

Clean run

Learn · 0/2

Learn

Recall

2 more clean runs (at any point) to reach Recall.