Tactics
The short forcing sequences that win material or deliver mate.
Tactics
The short forcing sequences that win material or deliver mate.
A tactic is a short sequence of moves that exploits an immediate weakness in the opponent's position, typically to win material or force checkmate. Unlike strategy, which is concerned with long-term plans, tactics are concrete and calculable.
Most tactics are built from a small number of motifs. Recognising the motifs in isolation is a prerequisite for seeing them combined in real games.
Pin
A piece is pinned when moving it would expose a more valuable piece behind it to capture. A pin against the king (an absolute pin) is illegal to break. A pin against any other piece is a relative pin, and moving the pinned piece may still be playable if the gain justifies the loss.
The bishop on b5 pins the knight on c6 against the king
Board is interactive - move a piece
Fork
A single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at once. Knights, with their unusual movement, are the classic forking piece. Queens, pawns, and even the king can all fork effectively.
The white knight on b6 forks the black king on d7 and the rook on a8. At the same time the black pawn on g4 forks the white rooks on f3 and h3.
Board is interactive - move a piece
Skewer
A more valuable piece is attacked along a line and, when it moves, exposes a less valuable piece behind it. A skewer is effectively a pin in reverse.
The white king on e4 and the white queen on f3 both lie on a single diagonal. The black bishop on d5 checks the king, and when the king moves, the bishop captures the queen.
Board is interactive - move a piece
Discovered Attack
One piece moves, revealing an attack from a piece behind it. When the moving piece also delivers check, the combination is a discovered check. When both pieces give check simultaneously, it is a double check, to which only a king move can reply.
White to move plays 1.Bf3+. The bishop move uncovers a discovered check from the rook on e3 to the black king on e5, and skewers the king and the queen on e8 along the e-file.
Board is interactive - move a piece
Removing the Defender
A piece that defends an important square or piece is captured, exchanged, or driven away, allowing the square or piece it protected to be taken. The related motif of overloading arises when a single piece is given more defensive tasks than it can simultaneously perform.
White plays 1.Bxb5, capturing the pawn that defended the black knight on a4. Black now faces the choice of saving the knight or recapturing the bishop with the rook, and loses material either way.
Board is interactive - move a piece
Back-Rank Threat
A castled king whose escape squares are blocked by its own pawns is vulnerable to a major piece delivered along the back rank. The threat of back-rank mate shapes many middlegame and endgame decisions, and the prophylactic move of creating a luft (an escape square for the king) is a common response.
Black is checkmated. The king on g8 is trapped by its own pawns on f7, g7 and h7, and the rook on d8 delivers mate along the eighth rank.
Board is interactive - move a piece
A comprehensive catalogue of named tactical patterns is kept in the checkmate patterns directory, and the terminology is defined in the chess terms glossary.