Attacking While Defending

I recently learned my weakness in chess, I can't defend! If I have to play defensive, even for a moment, you can bet I will lose that game. But when I play offense the entire game I win easily. So if I am in a position where I have to defend, what can I do?

 How about posting a game so we can see what you're talking about? There are ways of attacking and defending at the same time.

Just look at my games. I sometimes play two games against the same opponent. look at the games where I win and the ones I lose.

Your overwhelmingly obvious problem is you aren't playing well in general, not that your defense should be singled out as your weak point. Maybe you're playing too much Blitz and haven't gotten in the habit of assessing the situation properly. I don't know the underlying cause, but here is what I mean:

2. d3 - What are you thinking here? Are you trying to get out of book, trying to force a closed position, are you unfamiliar with openings, or what? This is not any kind of opening that would normally be played, even though it happens (to my surprise) to have a name (Indian Opening). If you can get a central duo in the opening then do so. Even 2. d4 would be preferable to this, although by far the most common opening move at this point is 2. Nf3 to prepare better for d4.

3. f3 - Even worse. Don't move an f-pawn in the opening unless you know what you're doing since that usually dangerously exposes your kingside.

4. Nh3? - Your opponent just gave you a free pawn and you neglected to take it: 4. Bxg5.

One good opening *principles* book I think would help you is Pandolfini's "The Chess Doctor."

Clearly you also need to be able to spot 1-move wins of material, either to cause or to prevent. In other words, simple tactics. What would help you tremendously here is playing against a computer on low to medium level, since programs even at a medium level never miss simple tactics like that, and after being punished often enough for such mistakes you'll learn what types of mistakes to look for.

I have this book. I've only glanced through it. I'll give it another look. 

Slow_pawn has good advice: First look to see what threats your opponent has, before thinking about attacking. Staying alive is more important than killing your opponent; staying alive is a requirement whereas killing is only a luxury.

One ailment in that book applies specifically to the OP's game I posted:

----------

(p. 103)
29
AILMENT:
Moving the f-pawn unwisely.

Moving the f-pawn typically has either or both of
two functions: to exert pressure against the enemy
e-pawn or to open the f-file. The latter is particularly
applicable when you've castled kingside. Exchang-
ing off the f-pawn gives your castled rook a clear
route to the opponent's camp. Even when you don't
exchange off the f-pawn, the rook might still be able
to move to the third rank on the f-file to shift over
for attack. But pushing the f-pawn early can have
the drawback of exposing your king to pesky queen
checks along the weakened K1-KR4 diagonal.

Rx
1. Don't move the f-pawn without careful consider-
ation.
2. If uncastled, can you move it and survive a queen
check at your KR4?
3. Can the enemy queen then shift from your KR4
to your K4 with check?
4. If castled kingside, will moving the f-pawn expose
you to checks along your QR7-KN1 diagonal?
5. Especially watch out for forking queen checks.
6. Never play a double-edged move without consid-
ering how it could falter.
7. Before playing it, give it one final look.

Pandolfini, Bruce. 1995. The Chess Doctor. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Here is my take on this game posted above (and I intend this to be constructive only):

Five of the first six moves are pawn moves (by BOTH sides). Neither side can castle to safety because of a ruined pawn structure.

You should try to develop all pieces and castle within the first ten moves; it can be done in 8 if only two pawns are moved. Although, in a real game, developing this fast can be difficult. But it is good for you to know how to do it.

Thanks for reinforcing the usefulness of Pandolfini's book I recommended.

----------

(p. 48)
8
AILMENT:
Making too many pawn moves.

In the beginning, every move is precious and has
tremendous meaning. On each turn you should nur-
ture your position, primarily by moving pieces. In
this way you keep pace with your opponent and
minimize weaknesses. Move a few pawns to facili-
tate development, of course, but if you move only
or mainly pawns, the real artillery in your army
never takes the field. Once your opponent's pieces
penetrate your front lines, which shouldn't be too
hard, you'll be at their mercy.

Rx
1. Move both center pawns fairly early to release
your arsenal.
2. Advance at least one of these pawns two squares.
3. Avoid moving other pawns without clear and nec-
essary purpose.
4. In some instances it's all right to move knight-
pawns in order to develop bishops on the flank
(fianchetto).
5. If you do fianchetto, be sure to develop the rest
of your forces consistently with the fianchetto.
6. For example, if you move the g-pawn to flank the
king-bishop, don't also move the e-pawn without
a compelling reason.
7. Violate principles when necessary.
8. But don't violate them before you've learned
them.

Pandolfini, Bruce. 1995. The Chess Doctor. New York: Simon & Schuster.

@ Sqod:

Our comments crossed. lol

That isn't a recent game. It is a game from a couple of years ago, I am better now, Look at my recent games. Against StefanoMatrix or J2cxl or someone like that

Next time look at the date of the game before you embarrase someone like that

Attack and defense are two sides of the same coin. If you can attack well, you can defend well and vice versa. You're probably able to attack "better" because of the level of your opposition. Work on tactics, particularly defensive-themed tactics. JMHO

Note that if you aren't making threats, you leave your opponent with little to do except look for threats against you, and consequently it's very difficult in chess to play purely defensively.  It you have to do so, use Nimzowitsch's Principle of Overprotection.  Try to keep your pieces in move-contact with each other.  Here are two games of mine.  In the first one I'm White and my 10th move was almost Rf1 to prevent a N-fork of my Q and R. I decided Ng5 was a little risky - I couldn't foresee the end - but it would be even more risky to play defensively with my K exposed.  I won the game 4 moves later:

In the next game I have Black against a strong Team Moscow player and was hanging on for dear life, trying to make threatening moves but not doing much outside of moves 8 and 11. I tried to keep my pieces overprotected and give them some room to maneuver. When his attack ran out of steam, I knew it was attack-or-die so I counter attacked on the Q-side -his d6-Bishop was blocked from it by his own Pawns so I could get a material advantage there, beginning with 22...Bxa5!  I managed to squeeze a out a win with a one-Pawn edge thanks to a Passed b-Pawn.

New time post a recent game before you waste someone's time like that. And don't be so lazy that someone else has to do it for you, and has to guess at what you're talking about.

I didn't tell you to post one of my games. I just told you to look at them!

The convention on this site is to post a game so that everybody can learn from it, not just one person. When you told me to look at your games, I took that to mean to look at them in order to pick one to post. I picked the first loss I found. Also, you're supposed to post such requests in the Game Analysis forum, not the General Discussion forum. I don't see how you could have been a member here for so long and not know all this. If you didn't want a game posted as is normally done then you should have said something beforehand.

Did you look at daily games or live games cause on my profile I said that I only play daily games now