Project approval after AI review on 2 November 2026. Human proofreading is still pending.
Lesson 21
What does your opponent want?
- What you will learn
- Before you move, you ask what your opponent wants and prevent a dangerous plan.
- What you should already know
- What is threatened and what a piece is worth
- Lesson 15: Exchange for a reason
Time: about 7 minutes
Thinking questions in this lesson
You can ask yourself these thinking questions in any position. They help you find a good move.
- What is the threat?
Step 1 of 7
Look first
White to move. Before you move, look at the black pieces.
Imagine it were Black’s move. Which square does their knight want to jump to?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space marks a square or removes the mark.
Choose a square from a list
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Rook a1
- Bishop f1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Rook d8
- Knight b4
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 2 of 7
Decide
You have a plan of your own. But what does Black want?
You want to bring your bishop into play. 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.
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Rook a1
- Bishop f1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Rook d8
- Knight b4
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 3 of 7
Try it
Prevent the fork before Black can play it.
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.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Rook a1
- Bishop f1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Rook d8
- Knight b4
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 4 of 7
Why does it work?
The knight wants to go to c2. From there it would give check and attack your rook on a1 at the same time.
With Rc1 you control c2. After Ke2 or Rb1 the knight on c2 can no longer attack king and rook at the same time. a3, on the other hand, comes too late: the knight jumps to c2 with check.
A move that prevents your opponent’s plan before they can play it is called prophylaxis.
Key idea
Before every move, ask: what does my opponent want? If their plan is dangerous, prevent it first.
When does this apply?
This is most urgent when their next move would cost you material or the game. Often you can see their plan earlier, though: then you prevent it before it becomes a threat. If their plan is harmless, carry on with your own.
Step 5 of 7
Like Nimzowitsch: prevent it early
A game from “Chess Praxis”: Wendel – Nimzowitsch, Stockholm 1921. Your pawn on c7 is still safe, because your queen protects it. But what is White planning?
Nimzowitsch is playing Black. What does the white knight on c3 want? Prevent its plan with a quiet move.
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.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook h1
- Bishop f1
- Bishop g3
- Knight c3
- Knight g1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn c2
- Pawn d5
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King e8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook h8
- Bishop c8
- Bishop f8
- Knight g6
- Knight g8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn e4
- Pawn e7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 6 of 7
New position, same question
Again you are playing Black. A white pawn is unprotected.
It is your move. First ask yourself: what does White want?
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.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King g1
- Rook d1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b3
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g8
- Rook c2
- Pawn a6
- Pawn b5
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 7 of 7
Nimzowitsch and today
Source
For Nimzowitsch, positional play is above all prophylaxis: unwanted possibilities, in the positional sense, should be nipped in the bud from the start. He leaves aside the mishaps of inexperienced players; he means plans, such as the opponent’s freeing pawn moves. A move that parries a sharp threat can at the same time have a deeper prophylactic meaning. Against Wendel (Stockholm 1921) he met the threat Nb5 with 6…a6 rather than 6…f5, because he did not want to show his hand too early and the square b5 could become important later. The texts are newly written for the course; the exercise from this game follows the web transcription.
- My System, part II, chapter 1 (in German) (original text not yet published)
- My System, part II, 1.3 (in German): “Meine neuartige Auffassung des Positionsspiels” (original text not yet published)
- Chess Praxis, 3. Overprotection and other forms of prophylaxis (original text not yet published)
- Chess Praxis, game 55: Wendel – Nimzowitsch (in German)
Today’s view (editorial note)
Today people speak of prophylactic thinking. It includes the question from this lesson: what would my opponent play if it were their move now? Players like Tigran Petrosian and Anatoly Karpov were famous for preventing their opponents’ plans early.