A fragment from the book by Y. Kirillov ‘Искусство защиты’. Part 57

21.01.2026

It is not always possible to come out of the opening with the best position and at the end to fight for the victory, you also have to defend. Sometimes it seems that the position is already ‘impossible to save’, after a while you will have to give up, but there is the only plan that still leads to a cherished draw.

The art of defense in the draughts game is certainly one of the indicators of the player’s skill. We express our gratitude to Yuri Kirillov for the book of paradoxically drawish positions ‘Искусство защиты’. Perhaps in this book you will find the game that was ‘not saved’.


	Diagram No. 286 Black pieces are in the centre! However, white have found a good defending plan! 1.GF2 (the only move) FG3! 2.HF4 EG3 3.CD4!! GH2! (the best move) 4.AC3 HG1 5.FG3! GC5 6.CD4 CC1 7.GF4. Draw.

	Diagram No. 287 Black have a great position, but there is a weakness in it – the piece on F6. 1.EF2!! FG3 2.DE3! GE1 3.HG5 FH4 4.DB6 AC7 5.CD4!! EA5 6.CB6! Draw.

	Diagram No. 288 White have managed to find a defence! 1.DE3!! (the only move) GH2! (the best move) 2.EF4 FG5 3.DE5 GE3 4.CD4 DF4! 5.DF2 HG5 6.FG3 CD6! Draw. All of it is easy, of course, but how many times white have lost!

	Diagram No. 289 White have managed to find a defence using the weakness of pieces on G7 and H8. 1..ED4! FG5 2.GH4 GC5 3.CD4!! CE3 4.DF4 BC3! 5.BD2 GF6 6.DC5 AB4 7.CB6 BC3 8.BC7 CB2 9.CB8! Draw.

	Diagram No. 290 (black to move) Black pieces are surrounded and every move loses, that is why they have to make a combination! 1… FG5 2.HF4 ED4 3.CE5 CB4 4.AE7 DH4 5.DE3 CD6 6.ED4 FG7 7.ED2 GF6 8.DC3 DE5 9.FD6 HG3 10.DC7 GF2. Draw.