Overprotecting important points

Step 1 of 6

Look first

A game by Nimzowitsch from 1920. White has the pawn chain d4–e5, and Black is attacking it.

You are playing White. Which of your pawns does the black knight on f5 attack?

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space marks a square or removes the mark.

87654321

abcdefgh

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Choose a square from a list

Square a8, emptyb8, emptyc8, black rookd8, black queene8, black kingf8, emptyg8, emptyh8, black rooka7, black pawnb7, black pawnc7, emptyd7, black bishope7, emptyf7, black pawng7, black pawnh7, emptya6, emptyb6, emptyc6, emptyd6, emptye6, black pawnf6, emptyg6, emptyh6, emptya5, black knightb5, emptyc5, emptyd5, black pawne5, white pawnf5, black knightg5, emptyh5, black pawna4, emptyb4, emptyc4, emptyd4, white pawne4, emptyf4, emptyg4, emptyh4, emptya3, white pawnb3, emptyc3, white knightd3, emptye3, emptyf3, white knightg3, emptyh3, white pawna2, emptyb2, white pawnc2, emptyd2, white queene2, white bishopf2, white pawng2, white pawnh2, emptya1, white rookb1, emptyc1, emptyd1, emptye1, emptyf1, white rookg1, white kingh1, empty Mark or unmark

Position as a list

White

• King g1
• Queen d2
• Rook a1
• Rook f1
• Bishop e2
• Knight c3
• Knight f3
• Pawn a3
• Pawn b2
• Pawn d4
• Pawn e5
• Pawn f2
• Pawn g2
• Pawn h3

Black

• King e8
• Queen d8
• Rook c8
• Rook h8
• Bishop d7
• Knight a5
• Knight f5
• Pawn a7
• Pawn b7
• Pawn d5
• Pawn e6
• Pawn f7
• Pawn g7
• Pawn h5

Step 2 of 6

Decide

The pawn on d4 carries the whole chain. How do you deal with it? First ask yourself what Black is threatening.

You are playing White. The knight on f5 attacks your pawn on d4. Which plan do you choose?

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.

87654321

abcdefgh

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Position as a list

White

• King g1
• Queen d2
• Rook a1
• Rook f1
• Bishop e2
• Knight c3
• Knight f3
• Pawn a3
• Pawn b2
• Pawn d4
• Pawn e5
• Pawn f2
• Pawn g2
• Pawn h3

Black

• King e8
• Queen d8
• Rook c8
• Rook h8
• Bishop d7
• Knight a5
• Knight f5
• Pawn a7
• Pawn b7
• Pawn d5
• Pawn e6
• Pawn f7
• Pawn g7
• Pawn h5

Which plan do you choose?

Attack on the kingside with the queen to f4 Drive the knight on f5 away with g2–g4 Put the rook from a1 on d1, behind the queen Drive the knight on a5 away with b2–b4

Step 3 of 6

Try it

Another game by Nimzowitsch, against Rubinstein in 1911. Again the pawn on d4 carries the chain.

You are playing White. Where do you move your queen from c2 so that the bishop on c3 and the pawn on d4 stay protected?

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.

87654321

abcdefgh

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Choose a move from a list

Move g5 – pawn from g4 to g5gxh5 – pawn from g4 captures on h5b4 – pawn from b3 to b4Bb4 – bishop from c3 to b4Bxa5 – bishop from c3 captures on a5Bd2 – bishop from c3 to d2Be1 – bishop from c3 to e1Bb2 – bishop from c3 to b2Ng5 – knight from f3 to g5Nh4 – knight from f3 to h4Nh2 – knight from f3 to h2Ng1 – knight from f3 to g1Ne1 – knight from f3 to e1Nd2 – knight from f3 to d2h4 – pawn from h3 to h4a3 – pawn from a2 to a3a4 – pawn from a2 to a4Qd3 – queen from c2 to d3Qe4 – queen from c2 to e4Qf5 – queen from c2 to f5Qxg6+ – queen from c2 captures on g6Qd2 – queen from c2 to d2Qd1 – queen from c2 to d1Qc1 – queen from c2 to c1Qb1 – queen from c2 to b1Qb2 – queen from c2 to b2Bd3 – bishop from e2 to d3Bc4 – bishop from e2 to c4Bb5 – bishop from e2 to b5Ba6 – bishop from e2 to a6Bf1 – bishop from e2 to f1Bd1 – bishop from e2 to d1Kg3 – king from g2 to g3Kh2 – king from g2 to h2Kh1 – king from g2 to h1Kg1 – king from g2 to g1Kf1 – king from g2 to f1Rb1 – rook from a1 to b1Rc1 – rook from a1 to c1Rd1 – rook from a1 to d1Re1 – rook from a1 to e1Rf1 – rook from a1 to f1Rg1 – rook from a1 to g1Rh1 – rook from a1 to h1 Play move

Position as a list

White

• King g2
• Queen c2
• Rook a1
• Bishop c3
• Bishop e2
• Knight f3
• Pawn a2
• Pawn b3
• Pawn d4
• Pawn e5
• Pawn f2
• Pawn g4
• Pawn h3

Black

• King g8
• Queen b6
• Rook c8
• Bishop d7
• Bishop h6
• Knight e7
• Pawn a5
• Pawn b7
• Pawn d5
• Pawn e6
• Pawn f7
• Pawn g6
• Pawn h5

Step 4 of 6

Why does it work?

If several pieces protect an important point, your opponent cannot simply win it. You do not have to think afresh at every attack about how to hold it.

A queen or a rook behind a piece that can recapture on the same file or diagonal counts too: if the front piece recaptures, the one behind is next in line.

The pieces that protect the point stand well while doing so. Nimzowitsch calls the point a source of energy for its overprotectors.

Step 5 of 6

New position, same idea

The same game, two moves later. The queen on b2 protects the bishop on c3 and, behind it, the pawn on d4. Because the queen protects d4 even without the bishop, your bishop is free.

You are playing White. Your bishop on c3 has overprotected d4 for a long time. With which bishop move does it attack now?

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.

87654321

abcdefgh

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Choose a move from a list

Move g5 – pawn from g4 to g5gxh5 – pawn from g4 captures on h5b4 – pawn from b3 to b4Bb4 – bishop from c3 to b4Bxa5 – bishop from c3 captures on a5Bd2 – bishop from c3 to d2Be1 – bishop from c3 to e1Ng5 – knight from f3 to g5Nh4 – knight from f3 to h4Nh2 – knight from f3 to h2Ng1 – knight from f3 to g1Ne1 – knight from f3 to e1Nd2 – knight from f3 to d2h4 – pawn from h3 to h4a3 – pawn from a2 to a3a4 – pawn from a2 to a4Qa3 – queen from b2 to a3Qc2 – queen from b2 to c2Qd2 – queen from b2 to d2Qe2 – queen from b2 to e2Qc1 – queen from b2 to c1Qb1 – queen from b2 to b1Kg3 – king from g2 to g3Kh2 – king from g2 to h2Kh1 – king from g2 to h1Kg1 – king from g2 to g1Rb1 – rook from a1 to b1Rc1 – rook from a1 to c1Rd1 – rook from a1 to d1Re1 – rook from a1 to e1Rf1 – rook from a1 to f1Rg1 – rook from a1 to g1Rh1 – rook from a1 to h1 Play move

Position as a list

White

• King g2
• Queen b2
• Rook a1
• Bishop c3
• Knight f3
• Pawn a2
• Pawn b3
• Pawn d4
• Pawn e5
• Pawn f2
• Pawn g4
• Pawn h3

Black

• King g8
• Queen b5
• Rook c8
• Bishop h6
• Knight e7
• Pawn a5
• Pawn b7
• Pawn d5
• Pawn e6
• Pawn f7
• Pawn g6
• Pawn h5

Step 6 of 6

Nimzowitsch and today

Aaron Nimzowitsch: looking at the board differently