Most beginners relish the idea of playing attacking chess and dislike to defend, if given a choice in a game of chess. To defend determinedly a player needs plenty of patience, good thinking ability and most importantly, to resist the temptation to hit the panic button. However dangerous an attack may appear, it is necessary to maintain and cool and rely more on the calculating ability to ward off danger.
The ensuing game is played between two super-grandmasters and is fought along equal terrain till the middle-game. White first attacks on the queen-side but panics when Black challenges his King-side. He hurriedly advances a vital pawn on the rook file to prevent the enemy from advancing furthur, but this allows Black some dangerous play.
White: Alex Yermolinsky (2625) – Black: Sergei Tiviakov (2655)
Groningen, 1998
Queen’s Indian Defence
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6
The Queen’s Indian Defence. Here Black fianchettoes his bishop on the queen side
3.g3 Bb7 4.Bg2 e6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.d4 Ne4 7.Bd2 f5
A bold move
8.Qc2
If 8.d5 exd5
8...Nxc3 9.Bxc3 Be4
Black is interested in exchanging pieces
10.Qd2 0–0 11.0–0 Bf6 12.Rfd1
White is trying to consolidate his position at the center. If 12.Rad1 d6 13.Ne1 (13.b3 Nd7 14.Qb2 Qe8 15.Rfe1 Qh5 16.Bf1 lead to a win for White in a previous game. If 13...Bxg2 14.Nxg2 Nd7 15.Qc2 Qe7 16.Rfe1 Qf7 17.f4 Rae8 18.e4 fxe4
12...d6 13.Rac1 Nd7 14.b4 Qe7 15.a4
The queen- side pawns are all out for war
15. ..Rad8 16.Qa2
The queen also shifts onto the queen side but the target is long range and nothing less than the King
16. ..Kh8
Ducking out of the dangerous diagonal
17.a5
White intends to push on the queen-side
17...e5 18.dxe5 Nxe5
If 18...dxe5 19.axb6 axb6 20.Qa7
19.Nxe5 Bxg2
Worth a look is 19...Bxe5
20.Kxg2
If 20.Ng6+hxg6 21.Kxg2 Rde8
20...Bxe5 21.e3 Qe6 22.Bd4 Rde8 23.Qb3 Qg6
Now Black is targeting the White king
24.Qc2 h5 25.c5
If 25.Bxe5 Rxe5 26.axb6 axb6 27.Rd4
25...dxc5 26.bxc5 bxa5
Sharp play!

Diagram 1
27.h4
After pushing pawns aggressively on the queen-side, White now suddenly advances a King-side pawn in some semblance of defence. But this is like a self- invitation for trouble. Here a better option appears 27.Bxe5 Rxe5 28.Qc3
27...Qc6+
A sudden switch for attack
28.Kg1 Qf3
Infiltration onto the enemy territory
29.Bxe5 Rxe5 30.Qc3 Re4
Black could have also tried out 30...Rfe8 31.Rd7 (31.Qxa5 Rxe3 32.fxe3 Qxg3+ 33.Kf1 Qf3+ 34.Kg1 Qxe3+ 35.Kg2 Qe4+) 31...Qc6
31.Rd7
Invading the seventh rank. If 31.Qxa5 f4 32.exf4 Rfxf4  33.gxf4 Rxf4 34.Rd8+ Kh7 35.Qa2 Rg4+ 36.Kf1 Qg2+ 37.Ke2 Re4+ 38.Kd3 Qf3
31...Rg4 32.Qe5
If 32.Rxc7 Rxg3+
32...f4
A dangerous move
33.Qxh5+
If 33.exf4 Rxg3+ 34.fxg3 Qxg3+ 35.Kh1 Qxh4+ 36.Kg2 Qg4+ 37.Kh2 Qxd7 with advantage for Black
33...Kg8 34.Qd5+
Forcing the exchange of queens. 34. ..Qxd5 35.Rxd5 fxe3 36.Rf1 exf2+ 37.Kg2 a4 38.Rd3
If 38.Rxf2 Rxf2+ 39.Kxf2 a3
38...Rc4 39.Ra3 a5 40.Rxf2 Rxf2+ 41.Kxf2 Kf7 42.Kf3 Ke6
The King starts marching majestically
43.g4 Kd5 44.h5 Kxc5 45.Ra1 Rc3+ 46.Kf4 a3 47.g5 Kb4 and White resigned for Black’s King, rook and pawns cannot be stopped on the queen-side even if White manages to get a passed pawn on the King side. The continuation could be 48.Kf5 Rf3+ 49.Kg6 Rg3 50.Kf5 Rh3 51.Kg6 c5 52.Kxg7 Rxh5 53.Kf6 Rh3 54.g6 Rg3 55.g7 c4 56.Kf7 Kb3 57.Rb1+ Kc2 58.Rb5 a4 59.Rb4 a2 60.Rxa4 Kb2 61.Rb4+ Ka3 62.Rb8 Rxg7+ 63.Kxg7 a1Q+ 0–1

Diagram 2
White to play and win
1.Bh7+ Kxh7 2.Qxe6 and White wins.