defence · recognise → explain → apply

Keep a pawn lever instead of sealing every file

A defensive pawn move can either preserve a future break or permanently close the position.

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

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Choose an example

Giri,A – Ivanchuk,V

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

40... d5 · White to move

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What to notice at 40... d5

Black retains and eventually uses the central break; the resulting rook ending 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. What useful central lever does Black eventually play?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

Leave yourself a door that can open.

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

Sources and further reading

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

Exeter Chess Club — Pawn mobility ↗