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Clear explanation with game examples
"What is Prophylaxis?"
According to the Oxford dictionary :
prophylaxis /ˌprfˈlakss/ noun
treatment given or action taken to prevent disease. "all patients received preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis"
But that's not what I'm here to explain today. I'm gonna make you understand way more than that.
Prophylaxis in chess, literally means, ' preventing opponent's plan '. Now this is a complex and advanced topic that needs a lot of focus and understanding.
"How to implement it?" Well, it's simple - prevent your opponent's plan. Now by seeing one game and then learning it doesn't make you good at it, not at all. Prophylaxis is complex and to master one must solve hundreds of thousands of positions. Let us see some sample games and try to understand.
Sample Games I will be diving the examples by game stage - 3 examples - 3 stages - opening, middlegame, endgame.
The first example arises in a commonly faces opening - the Open Scicillian or the Najdorf. Black plays the theoretical move 5. ...a6 - which has a key role. It stops not one, not two, but three pieces from coming to b5 - the c3 Knight, d4 Knight and the c1 bishop. A simple move - deep understanding... Now this is not a very high level of prophylaxis, but a simple example, that showcases how important the topic is.
Yet another simple example and a common blunder, NGL that I have done too . White sets a simple trap a5. He threatens b4 then when the bishop goes to b6, a5 - trapping the bishop. Black has to play a6 or a5 to prevent it and save his bishop, unless he wants to lose . White not only plays the move to set the trap, but also for another reason all slow italian players MUST know. When black goes a6 he threatens Na5 - the bishop cannot go to b5 anymore and has to trade itself for the knight. In this opening, the bishop is the heart of the white pieces and cannot be trade, unless for an advantage. Hence, white plays a4 - to make room for the bishop to retreat to a2.
3. Endgame
https://adjva4.dpdns.org/study/n2XI9kwz/4JE13DOT
We finally have a complex position, just to help you understand. Beginners think black played this to move his rook from the blocked file. - "Yes, and NO" Black played it to prevent a dangerous idea from white - Rd1 which is followed by Rd6 - which would have won the game for white. I took this from a game on lichess and hence don't know if black actually had that thought process. Anyway, that's what YOU should be thinking.
Final Thoughts Prophylaxis is an important topic to understand and NO definitely this explanation is not enough for advanced players. Practice these themed positions. I can not provide you with them, but you could refer to some books.
