And there are two kinds of pins. The relative pin and the absolute pin. While in a relative pin the pinned piece can move, in the absolute pin the pinned piece cannot. This is so because a relative pin is just pinning a piece to another of greater value other than the king when the absolute is when the piece is pinned to the king. Here is a game and position(from the game..a three minute game.) showing both.

[Event "Blitz Game"]
[Site "chesshere.com"]
[Date "2008.03.15"]
[White "elonater"]
[Black "CHESSTERMINATOR"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1336"]
[BlackElo "1400"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Ne5 5. Be2 Nf6 6. O-O Bc5 7. Nb3 Bb6 8. Nc3 d6 9. Bg5 c6 10. Na4 h6 11. Nxb6 axb6 12. Bd2 Nxe4 13. f4 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 Ng4 15. Bxg4 Bxg4 16. f5 Qf6 17. Qf4 Qg5 18. Rae1+ Kd7 19. Qb4 Bh3 20. Rf2 Rhe8 21. Rd1 c5 22. Nxc5+ bxc5 23. Qxb7+ Kd8 24. Rxd6# 1-0



The position in question arises after 21...c5?



Move 22.Nxc5+! takes advantage of both the relative pin on the b6 pawn and the absolute pin on the d6 pawn...pins are among if not the most powerful weapons of chess.

I don't know if this is mentioned already but here's the mad (or furious) rook tactic/manouver. I've got if from our chess tactics thread in the private forums of The Mad Rooks clan. 🙂

Try to find the tactic.

Originally posted by kenan
[b][fen]7R/1rk1bpp1/3p4/6P1/1p1qBQ2/p7/PPP5/1K6 w - - 0 1[/fen]


I don't know if this is mentioned already but here's the mad (or furious) rook tactic/manouver. I've got if from our chess tactics thread in the private forums of The Mad Rooks clan. 🙂

Try to find the tactic.[/b]

Originally posted by tomtom232
1.Rc8+ Kxc8 2.Bxb7+ Kxc7 3.Qxd4 and if the king decides to move to another square instead of taking..you keep using the same idea which is to lure the king onto a light square that is connected to the square the rook is on so as to force a perpetual check.

Originally posted by kenan
What makes you think black will play Kxc8?

Originally posted by tomtom232
I was giving the general idea with that line. Did you read the rest of my post?

I don't know that it has any name other than a sacrafice or exchange, but exchanging a piece of value onto a non promotable file such as the a file and h file.

this is useful in some endings such as rook+minor vs pawn+minor endings or of course in a minor vs pawn ending.

obviously, players of higher strength will not play through these themes very often as a draw is typically offered before they're utilized.

Anyone who's interested in these topics should really read 'Chess Tactics' by Paul Littlewood. It has puzzles for each tactic (almost all of the ones mentioned in this thread so far) and an explanation of how to spot/provoke them in a position as well as how to defend against them.

Excellent book.