Overprotection is a strategic technique that consists of defending a key square or piece with more defenders than strictly necessary to hold it against the opponent’s attacks.
The underlying logic is anticipatory: if a square or piece is vital to your position, protecting it once may be enough in the short term, but an extra defender provides a valuable safety margin. For instance, if a well-placed knight on e5 is attacked once, defending it two or three times allows you to keep that advanced outpost even if the opponent focuses their efforts on dislodging it, without having to calculate under pressure whether the resulting exchange favors them.
In practice, identify the pieces or squares that form the pillars of your strategy — an outpost occupied by a knight, an open file controlled by a rook, a blocked central pawn. Ask yourself whether losing that element would significantly weaken your position, and if so, add an extra defender before the opponent launches their attack. This preventive approach is part of a broader prophylactic mindset: acting before the problem arises.