I need a draw

Originally posted by onyx2006
Ronan Keating

You shay its besht, when you shay nothing at all.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Please, give me an advice. How do I get a draw?

I have a game that I don't need the win, I need a draw.
If I go for a win and lose the game it wouldn’t be good. I’d rather have a safe draw than an unsafe win.

Should I trade pieces as much as possible?
Should I block with the pawns?
What should I do?

The game is in progress with 20 moves or so.
I don’t ask specifically of this game, I ask only generally.

Of course it depends on the position.. but there are many draws in:

1. Rook+pawn endings
2. Different coloured bishops endings

But beware, there are many of those which are not draws too =)

Sometimes there are sacrifices you can do to get perpetual checks (this is a great resource when you are actually in a lost position). Trading queen's reduces some attacking power, but you must then be really careful to leave yourself with at least a little advantage after the trade, or it might tip over to his favour.

Trading pieces can be just as good as it is bad. If your opponent has the initiative and you trade down.. well, you have an end-game where maybe just the one or two tempi difference gives him the win.

I guess you must know the end-game you want to reach, and then aim for it. The problem otherwise is that you might play for less than you should, which could give him the advantage. It is really hard to "maintain" a draw. The best moves are the best moves really, and even if you feel uncomfortable playing them, I think you should.

But, there is no reason to give your opponent a good chance for counter-play if you for example have a solid advantage in an end-game, or a known theoretical draw (if you can calculate the trade-down accurately).