Why Undefended Pieces Disappear So Quickly in Beginner Games

It’s important to understand that when a piece is defended and another piece is able to retake it (i.e. a trade), you must consider if the trade is worth it.

Let’s say a piece was protected, but one of the defending pieces is pinned. In this case, the defending piece cannot safely retake the piece. In order to decide if a trade is favourable, you have to take all the factors into consideration. How many pieces are defending the piece in question? Is it under attack by more pieces than it has defenders? Can any of those defenders legally retake it (i.e. is any of them pinned)? If it was under attack by one, but it was defended by two and one of them moved away, then would a trade occur? If it was defended by two, but attacked by three, then would it still be wise to capture it? You can see this can quickly become more complicated than it originally started. But ultimately, you are only concerned with the net outcome of material.

Undefended pieces are a big factor in many tactics. For example, a knight fork that is able to grab two undefended pieces in one move (a knight can jump over pieces), or a discovered attack (a move that uncovers another threat by revealing pieces on lines). Tactics usually work because the pieces in question are undefended. So before you carry out your plan, it’s important to ensure that nothing is hanging (undefended) as an immediate threat takes precedence over other plans.

Many times, a beginner will get caught up in the attack so much that they don’t take a step back and check all the pieces to make sure that they are defended. This means that they may leave their king’s pawn defending the king, only for it to be picked off by a piece, and before the attacker could be taken back, their other pieces are already lost. This is why it’s important to develop your vision for all the pieces.

During the middlegame, pause from developing a plan. Instead, start by checking the pawn structure and then the ranks, the files, all the diagonals, and look at how many pieces are controlling squares. You will likely find undefended pieces, especially ones that aren’t participating in a particular fight.

A useful way of training your brain to be on the hunt for undefended pieces is by always asking yourself three questions before you move.

• Are you uncovering anything on the square you’re moving from (i.e. is there a piece behind you that’s coming into the line of fire)?
• Is the square you’re moving to defended?
• Is the square you’re moving to attacking you, and if it is, would you rather be able to take back?

Once you make it a habit to look at the entire board, you will naturally get better at spotting undefended pieces. In order to see why it’s important to look at the whole picture (and why your piece was undefended), during post-game analysis, once you spot an undefended piece, go back 1 to 2 moves and think about why you let the opponent take your piece. What move could they have made? You’ll soon find the move that caused your piece to become undefended.