Defensive move puzzles
84 free defensive move puzzles from real games, rated 941 to 2610. Solve them on the board below; your accuracy feeds your weakness map.
What is a defensive move?
Defensive puzzles flip the usual question: the opponent is threatening something, and you need the one move that holds. Most tactics trainers barely cover defence, yet real games are often lost by missing the saving move.
These positions train you to read the opponent's threat precisely before reaching for a counterattack.
Common mistake
Making a natural-looking move that ignores the opponent's real threat.
How to spot it
Name the threat out loud: what exactly happens if you pass?
Look for moves that answer the threat and create your own (counter-check, pin, trade).
Sometimes giving back material is the only way to break the attack.
Related themes
- Attraction (decoy)Drag a piece onto a fatal square.
- ClearanceClear a square or line for another piece.
- InterferenceCut the line between two enemy pieces.
- X-ray attackAttack or defend through another piece.
- ZugzwangEvery move makes it worse.
Let the adaptive drill find your weakest pattern
Puzzles: Lichess puzzle database (CC0), filtered for popularity and play count. See how Weakspot works.