If your opponent makes a threat, do not just automatically go into a defensive mindset, trying to figure out how to meet your opponent's threat. <IT"S YOUR MOVE, DAMNIT, USE IT TO MAKE YOUR =OWN= THREATS!>. Don't just meekly hand the initiative over to your opponent, make him respond to =your= threats!

Anand does exactly this against Topalov in =both= games in this game collection. In the first game Topalov attacks Anand's Black bishop with a pawn. Does Anand just meekly meet the threat against his bishop? <HELL NO!> He attacks a White knight with his pawn not once but =twice=! And in the latter game, Topalov attacks an undefended White pawn on c2 with his rook. Does Anand meet the threat against this pawn? <HELL NO!> He counterattacks against an undefended Black pawn on b7. <THIS IS HOW YOU PLAY CHESS! YOU NEVER GIVE YOUR OPPONENT A SINGLE OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH HIS BREATH! EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE IS A THREAT!>

Event "ICC 120 30 u"
Site "Internet Chess Club"
Date "2007.06.19"
Round "-"
White "*GM_Eljanov"
Black "*GM_Karjakin"
Result "*"
ICCResult "Game in progress"
WhiteElo "2686"
BlackElo "2686"
Opening "QGD Slav: 4.e3"
ECO "D11"
NIC "SL.01"
Time "12:26:21"
TimeControl "7200+30"

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. c5 Nbd7 7. a3 a5 8. Bd3 e5 9. dxe5 Ng4 10. e6 fxe6 11. Nd4 Nxc5 12. Be2 Nxf2 13. Kxf2 Bd6 14. g3 O-O+ 15. Kg2 Bd7 16. Bd2 e5 17. Nb3 Ne6 18. Bg4 a4 19. Nc1 Qg5 20. h4 Qg6 21. h5 Qg5 22. Rh4 e4 23. Qe1 Nc5 24. Bxd7 Nxd7 25. N1e2 Ne5 26. Qh1 Nf3 27. Qh3 Qf6 28. Nf4 Nxd2 Game in progress *

27 ♕h3? is <DEFENSE BY COUNTERATTACK>, meeting the threat to the White d2-bishop by <COUNTERATTACKING> against the Black d6-bishop.

But it loses to 27 ... ♕g5-f6!, meeting the threat to the Black d6-bishop with <GAIN OF TIME> (<FOR FREE>) by forming a battery on the f-file and threatening <DISCOVERIES> against f3,f2-squares.