Basic Chess Tactics: Introduction to basic tactics like forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks.
Chess is a game of strategy and tactics, and understanding basic chess sets tactics is essential to winning the game. In this blog, we will discuss the most common tactics in chess, including forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks.
Forks
A fork is a tactic where one piece attacks two or more of the opponent’s pieces simultaneously. The most common example of a fork is when a knight jumps to a square that attacks both the opponent’s king and queen or two other valuable pieces. The opponent must choose which piece to save, allowing the attacker to capture the other.
Here is an example of a fork:
[FEN “r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/2b1p3/2B1P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq – 0 1”]
- Nxe5
In this position, the knight on e5 attacks the queen on d8 and the bishop on c5. The opponent can only save one of the pieces, so the other one will be captured.
Pins
A pin is a tactic where a piece is blocked from moving because it would expose a more valuable piece behind it to attack. A pin can be created by a queen, rook, or bishop.
Here is an example of a pin:
[FEN “rnbqkbnr/ppp2ppp/8/3p4/8/4PN2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1”]
- Bb5+
In this position, the bishop on b5 attacks the black knight on c6. If the knight moves, the black king on e8 will be exposed to a check from the bishop on b5.
Skewers
A skewer is similar to a pin, but instead of blocking a less valuable piece from moving, it exposes a more valuable piece to attack. The most common example of a skewer is when a rook or queen attacks a less valuable piece in front of a more valuable piece.
Here is an example of a skewer:
[FEN “r1bqkbnr/ppp2ppp/2n5/3pp3/2P5/2N1PN2/PP1P1PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq – 0 1”]
1… Nxc4
In this position, the white bishop on c4 is attacked by the black knight on c6. If the bishop moves, the black queen on d5 will be exposed to a capture by the white rook on d1.
Discovered Attacks
A discovered attack occurs when a piece moves, revealing an attack by another piece behind it. This tactic can be used to attack the opponent’s king or queen, or to capture a valuable piece.
Here is an example of a discovered attack:
[FEN “r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n2n2/4p3/2B1P3/2NP1N2/PPP2PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq – 0 1”]
- Ng5
In this position, the knight on g5 attacks the black queen on d8. If the queen moves, the bishop on c4 will be revealed, attacking the black knight on c6.
Conclusion
Knowing basic chess tactics is essential to winning the game. Forks, pins, skewers, and discovered attacks are some of the most common tactics used by players at all levels. By understanding these tactics, beginners can start to develop a winning strategy and enjoy the game of chess even more.