Choosing the subject wasn't easy at all, since the topic of defense requires a comprehensive analysis from differentangles in order to give the chess player under pressure useful guidelinesduring a game. Of course, the technical part is a matter of findingchallenging, new and interesting positions. I was struggling with describingthe emotions that we have during the game, how they influence ourdecision-making process and what we can do about that. Hence, I tried the bestI could to define the issues the defender encounters during a stressful game. Finally I am confidently sharing with you the lessons that I learned from sportpsychologists and literature, and my experience as a player over 30 years. GM Jan Werle November 2021