Wings Chess
Start learning

Tactic · Improver

Double Check in chess

A double check is when two pieces give check at the same moment, usually through a discovered check.

Last updated

touch_appTry it: Two pieces give check at once. Only a king move can help, and here there is none.

What is a double check in chess?

A double check is when two pieces give check at the same moment, usually through a discovered check. You can't block two lines or capture two pieces in one move, so the king has to move. If it has no square, it's checkmate.

  • It needs a discovered check where the moving piece also gives check.
  • Before the king walks, see whether it has any safe square at all: double check plus a trapped king is mate.

How it works, step by step

In a double check, two pieces attack the king at the same moment. You can't block two lines or capture two pieces in one move, so the king must move. If the king has no safe square, it's checkmate.

A worked example

Double check: White to move. Two pieces give check at once. Only a king move can help, and here there is none.

Solution: 1.Nd6#. Nd6#! The knight and the rook both give check. The bishop could take the knight, but that doesn't stop the rook, and the king has nowhere to go.

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 "Double 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 e4, pawn f2, pawn g2, pawn h2.
Black: king e8, queen d8, bishop f8, pawn d7, pawn f7.
Material: White 11, Black 14 (Black up 3).
Loose/under-defended pieces: none.
Defenders and attackers (verified):
Black queen d8: defended by king e8; attacked by nothing.
Black bishop f8: defended by king e8; attacked by nothing.
White knight e4: 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 Black bishop f8 are on the 8th rank (nothing between them); Black king e8 and White rook e1 are on the e-file (with the knight e4 between them); White rook e1 and White king g1 are on the 1st rank (nothing between them).
White's legal moves (22): knight e4: Nc5+, Nd6#, Nf6#, Ng5+, Ng3+, Nd2+, Nc3+; pawn f2: f3, f4; pawn g2: g3, g4; pawn h2: h3, h4; rook e1: Re2, Re3, Rf1, Rd1, Rc1, Rb1, Ra1; king g1: Kh1, Kf1.
Engine best line: 1.Nd6# — forced mate in 1 for White.
Best move theme: checkmate.

3 · What the coach said

Great job finding the move Nd6#. When the knight jumps from the square e4 to the square d6 it gives check to the black king on e8. At the same time the rook on e1, which was already lined up on the same file as the black king, also becomes a checking piece because the knight moved out of the way. So two pieces – the knight and the rook – are checking the king at once. Since the black king is surrounded by its own queen and bishop on the eighth rank, it has no square to run to and no piece can block or capture both checks, so the game ends immediately with checkmate. Tip: When you see a piece sitting directly between your rook (or queen) and the opponent’s king, look for a move that can jump away from that line and also give check. If the jumping piece lands on a square that attacks the king, you’ll have a double check – a very powerful way to finish the game.
Engine line: Nd6#. In the app you can ask Wingo about any position, and about your own wrong moves.

Solve double check puzzles at your level

extension12 double 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 double checks in your own games?

Our mistake finder checks your recent games with Stockfish and lists the 3 mistakes you repeat most. Missed double 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 double 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: Double checkarrow_forwardTwo pieces give check at once. Only a king move can help, and here there is none. With hints, stars and your progress saved.Endless double check puzzlesarrow_forwardRated puzzles on this theme at your level, plus puzzles made from your own mistakes.

Keep going

Discovered Checkarrow_forwardA discovered check is a discovered attack where the uncovered piece gives check.Discovered Attackarrow_forwardA discovered attack happens when one piece moves out of the way and uncovers an attack by the piece behind it.Forkarrow_forwardA fork is one piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time.Opening: Queen's Gambitarrow_forwardOffer a wing pawn to pull Black's d-pawn away from the center.