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[Source](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-black-and-white-photo-of-a-chess-set-Bb0C3B9PTmw)
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Welcome to the ninth lesson of the intermediate guide to chess mastery, where we will talk about how to prevent simple tricks. It is only reasonable that we talk about this lesson next, after treating [Know when to pull simple tricks](#). When you know how to pull off a trick, you should also know how to prevent those tricks when it is pulled off against you. It is more like a con man who knows when a con is being pulled off on him.
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#### Preventing Attacks on more pieces
Preventing attacks on more pieces is simple: visualize the square you want to place your piece. I know it sounds so cliche, but to break it down to the simplest form of chess, the square on the board is all that matters. When playing, visualize and question your thoughts on the safety of the piece and what exactly that piece will be doing there on that given square.
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#### Here is the first position
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#### And the second
Can you spot what is wrong with black's move **Rb4**
***Here is a simple tip:***
It is a defensive error!
Alright, I am sure the answer should be lurking at the back of your mind.
You are right. It is a bad move because it removes the defender, which happens to be the black rook, from the defended piece, which happens to be the black pawn on a3. This explains how a simple understanding of where you are about to place your piece can help avoid defensive errors. If black had questioned what the rook would be doing when placed on b4, it could have saved the pawn on a3.
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#### Avoiding Emergency Check
When in a time scramble and playing to win on time, be prepared to move your king always. I remember how a friend of mine told me why he can flag me most times whenever we play over the board is because he moves his king a lot when in a time scramble. This is because the king tends to be closer to the clock in most cases, depending on where you castled, and it is the most important piece on the board. So roll up that sleeve and move that king. Also, with the king, you don't have to worry much, just move that big boy to any square one step at a time. It could be the lifesaver you need in the Royal Rumble for time.
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#### In Time Scramble, look for the closest piece to the clock
Moving the king isn't the only trick that can be used in a time scramble. I know this isn't much of a prevention trick, but it would not be too bad to have this in your book. Move the closest piece to the clock as long as your hand gets to touch the clock. If it is an online game, use premoves. Premove the next move before your opponent makes their move, and do it fast.
And there you have it, some preventive tricks, but the best preventive trick of them all is to play as many games as possible. Play during your free time and play to learn more; this way, you could develop some special moves of your own. Go play some chess.
See you in the next lesson.
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<sub> I am @samostically, I love to talk and write about chess because I benefited alot from playing chess and I love writing about chess. </sub>
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