A Plan of Defense

Methods of Defense

" Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive." ~ Sun Tzu 

The first important principle of defense is to understand your opponent's threats and intentions. Only after this, is it possible to counter the opponent's plan by means of counter-attacking, neutralizing attackers, bringing more defenders and so on. 

Let's examine the variety of defensive options available to the defender as discussed by Bellin and Ponzetto:
Counterattack

This is usually employed when players' plans develop in different sectors. A typical case is that of games where castling takes place on opposite sides. The game becomes a race to land a body blow first and defensive moves in the sector under attack have to be weighed on the finest of scales as they all get in the way of the counterattack.

Countering

These are straightforward attempts to prevent realization of a plan, namely to prevent the opponent achieving his aim. For example, the attacker occupies an open file and the defender counters this by also occupying the file, or the attacker pins a piece and the defender unpins it. These typical defensive maneuvers pursue the principle of countering.

Prophylaxis

This covers all defensive moves that prevent attacking threats, rendering them unrealizable or ineffective. If, for example, the attacker threatens to pin the knight on f6 against the queen on d8 by playing Bg5, the defender may operate prophylactic defense by playing ...h6 or by removing the knight from f6 or the queen from the d8-h4 diagonal. Certain well-known strategic principles meet the criterion of prophylactic defense. For instance, the overprotection of a square or the opening of the center used as a prophylactic measure against a possible flank attack.

Simplification
This is a very common defensive method and is often employed by Black right from the opening. The effect is to pare down the attacking forces. This method can be strategically recommended especially in positions in which the defender is cramped for such positions are easier to defend when there are fewer pieces on the board. Overcrowding of the defender's troops may easily lead to the collapse of the position.

Blockade

Nimzovich's favorite method, he built an entire defensive philosophy around it. The effect of a blockading strategy, whether applied in its purest form against (say) a passed pawn, or used simply to keep lines closed. Involves reducing the dynamism of the attacker's pieces by preventing them penetrating the defender's territory.

Change in Structure

Changing the pawn structure is a little like changing cards at poker: all plans have to be looked at again and weighed in the light of the new situation on the board. The attacker 's main wish is to be able to pursue his plan in the desired direction. Having to cope with a different strategic structure thus causes him a major mental upset which may develop into confusion if he is short of time. By this method, the defender can try to distract his opponent from the most important objective, or bring about a strategic alteration that is favorable to him even at the cost of material sacrifice. In such cases the attacker's task is a delicate one because it demands some sort of review if not a total change in plan.

The King and Self-defense
This is how we define all those methods of defense in which the king assumes an important role, e.g. by delaying castling or keeping the king in the center so as not to offer the attacker a specific object of attack. Another example of this defensive method is seen in the 'king's march', a strategic maneuver whose usual purpose is to remove the king from the hot spot and transfer him somewhere safer.

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