defence · recognise → explain → apply

Trade the bishop aimed at your king

An enemy bishop has a direct diagonal toward your king shelter.

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

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Choose an example

Anand, Viswanathan – Ivanchuk, Vassily

Chess Classics Giants · 1998.06.18 · 1/2-1/2

16... Bxd4 · White to move

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What to notice at 16... Bxd4

Black exchanges the centrally placed bishop before undertaking ...d5 and ...d4. The 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. Which attacking bishop disappears after ...Bxd4?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

Switch off the long-range beam.

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

Exeter Chess Club — Exchanging to Win ↗