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Tactic · Improver

Discovered Check in chess

A discovered check is a discovered attack where the uncovered piece gives check.

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touch_appTry it: Move the knight to reveal a bishop check, and attack the queen with the same move.

What is a discovered check in chess?

A discovered check is a discovered attack where the uncovered piece gives check. Your opponent must deal with the check, so the piece that moved is free to grab anything: it's one of the most powerful tactics in chess.

  • Line up a rook, bishop or queen with the enemy king, with your own piece in between.
  • When the in-between piece moves, it can capture or attack anything: the opponent has no time to save it.

How it works, step by step

A discovered attack happens when one piece moves out of the way and uncovers an attack by the piece behind it. If the uncovered piece gives check, it's a discovered check. The moving piece is free to attack anything it likes!

Worked examples

Discovered Check: White to move. Move the knight to reveal a bishop check, and attack the queen with the same move.

Solution: 1.Nd5+. Nd5+! The knight moves off the long diagonal, so the b2 bishop gives check, and the knight now attacks the queen on e7. Black must handle the check, and White takes the queen next move. With a discovered check, the moving piece can go almost anywhere for free.

Discovered check: White to move. Move the knight to uncover a check from the rook, and attack the queen too.

Solution: 1.Nc6+ Kf7 2.Nxd8+. Nc6+! The rook gives check, and the knight attacks the queen. Black must deal with the check, and Nxd8 wins the queen. (Nf7+ works too.)

Ask Wingo why it works

Wingo, our coach, never works out chess moves on its own. Stockfish finds the best line, chess.js writes down the facts of the position, and Wingo's explanation is built from that analysis. This is its real answer for "Discovered check", unedited (a person checked it before it went on this page).

1 · Position + engine

2 · Fact sheet (chess.js + Stockfish)

Side to move: White.
White: king g1, rook e1, knight e5, pawn f2, pawn g2, pawn h2.
Black: king e8, queen d8.
Material: White 11, Black 9 (White up 2).
Loose/under-defended pieces: none.
Defenders and attackers (verified):
Black queen d8: defended by king e8; attacked by nothing.
White knight e5: defended by rook e1; attacked by nothing.
White rook e1: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
Line-ups (verified geometry): Black queen d8 and Black king e8 are on the 8th rank (nothing between them); Black king e8 and White rook e1 are on the e-file (with the knight e5 between them); White rook e1 and White king g1 are on the 1st rank (nothing between them).
White's legal moves (24): knight e5: Nc6+, Nd7+, Nf7+, Ng6+, Ng4+, Nf3+, Nd3+, Nc4+; pawn f2: f3, f4; pawn g2: g3, g4; pawn h2: h3, h4; rook e1: Re2, Re3, Re4, Rf1, Rd1, Rc1, Rb1, Ra1; king g1: Kh1, Kf1.
Engine best line: 1.Nc6+ Kd7 2.Nxd8 Kc7 3.g4 Kc8 — winning (+10.5) for White.
Best move theme: check.
After Nc6+, the opponent has 4 legal replies (the reply is NOT forced; the line shows the best one).

3 · What the coach said

Great job! By moving the knight from e5 to c6 you open the line between your rook on e1 and the black king on e8, so the rook now gives a check (the king is attacked along the e‑file). At the same time the knight on c6 attacks the black queen on d8, so you are checking the king and also threatening the queen in one move. The key idea is simple: look for a piece that sits between one of your long‑range pieces (like a rook or bishop) and the enemy king. If you can move that blocking piece away, the long‑range piece will give a check. When you practice, scan the board for any “hidden” line like the e‑file here, and ask yourself, “If I move the piece on that line, will my rook or bishop suddenly see the king?” That habit will help you spot discovered checks in real games.
Engine line: Nc6+ Kd7 Nxd8 Kc7 g4 Kc8. In the app you can ask Wingo about any position, and about your own wrong moves.

Solve discovered check puzzles at your level

extension12 discovered check puzzles from real games, in three levels. Find the move; a wrong try is explained. No account needed.

Beginner · under 1200

Improver · 1200–1599

Intermediate · 1600+

Puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0), each checked by Stockfish.

Do you miss discovered checks in your own games?

Our mistake finder checks your recent games with Stockfish and lists the 3 mistakes you repeat most. Missed discovered checks are counted under "Missing forks and double attacks". Every mistake it finds becomes a puzzle from your own game, so you practise exactly the positions you got wrong.

Check my Chess.com gamesarrow_forwardEnter your username. Free, about a minute.Check my Lichess gamesarrow_forwardEnter your username. Free, about a minute.Check my Wings Chess gamesarrow_forwardUses the games you play here, after 5 games.

Use it in a real game

Puzzles tell you a discovered check is there. In a game nobody does. Play Blaze, one of our bots that think at a human pace and make human mistakes, and look for the pattern yourself. The coach can point it out afterwards if you miss it.

Play Blaze (1300)arrow_forwardAll-out attacker. Sacrifices first, asks questions later.About Blazearrow_forwardHow this bot plays, and tips to beat it.

Train this in the app

Lesson: Discovered checkarrow_forwardMove the knight to uncover a check from the rook, and attack the queen too. With hints, stars and your progress saved.Endless discovered attack puzzlesarrow_forwardRated puzzles on this theme at your level, plus puzzles made from your own mistakes.

Keep going

Discovered Attackarrow_forwardA discovered attack happens when one piece moves out of the way and uncovers an attack by the piece behind it.Double Checkarrow_forwardA double check is when two pieces give check at the same moment, usually through a discovered check.Knight Forkarrow_forwardA knight fork is a knight jumping to a square where it attacks two valuable pieces at once, often the king and the queen (a "royal fork").Opening: Nimzo-Indian Defensearrow_forwardAs Black, pin White's c3 knight to stop e4 and threaten to double White's pawns.