The Escape Artist: Defending Against Mate

The three doors — run, block, capture — are also your DEFENSIVE checklist. When you smell a mate threat:

1. Can I make an escape square? (luft — the h3/g3 hatch) 2. Can I add a defender or block the line? 3. Can I capture or trade off the attacker? 4. Or can I make a BIGGER threat — a check of my own outranks their plan

Defense is a skill, not a punishment. The player who defends one move earlier never gets mated.