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Tactic · Beginner

Pin in chess

A pin is when a piece can't move because a more valuable piece stands behind it on the same line.

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touch_appTry it: A piece pinned to its king cannot legally move off the line. Pin the queen and win it.

What is a pin in chess?

A pin is when a piece can't move because a more valuable piece stands behind it on the same line. If the piece behind is the king, moving is illegal (an absolute pin). If it's the queen or a rook, moving is legal but costs material (a relative pin). Pinned pieces can't defend, so attack them again.

  • Look along files, ranks and diagonals that pass through an enemy piece and end on their king or queen.
  • Once a piece is pinned, attack it with something cheap, often a pawn. It can't run.
  • A pinned piece doesn't really defend anything: count it out when you check what's protected.

How it works, step by step

A pin is when a piece can't move because a more valuable piece is behind it. Here the knight on e5 is pinned to the black king by your rook: if it moved, the king would be in check, which is illegal.

Worked examples

Pin the Queen: White to move. A piece pinned to its king cannot legally move off the line. Pin the queen and win it.

Solution: 1.Re1. Re1! pins the queen on e5 to the king on e8. The queen can't step off the e-file, so the best Black can do is Qxe1+, giving up the queen for a rook. Whenever an enemy piece shares a line with its king, look for a pin.

Attack the Pinned Piece: White to move. A pinned piece is a sitting duck. Attack it with something cheaper.

Solution: 1.d5. d5! The knight on c6 is pinned to the king by Bb5, so it can't run away. Black loses the knight. Pile up on pinned pieces, especially with pawns, the cheapest attackers.

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 "Pin the Queen", 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 f2, rook a1, bishop d2, pawn a2, pawn b2, pawn c2, pawn g2, pawn h2.
Black: king e8, queen e5, pawn a7, pawn b7, pawn c7, pawn f7, pawn g7, pawn h7.
Material: White 13, Black 15 (Black up 2).
Loose/under-defended pieces: White pawn on b2; White pawn on h2.
Defenders and attackers (verified):
Black queen e5: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
White bishop d2: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
White rook a1: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
Line-ups (verified geometry): Black king e8 and Black queen e5 are on the e-file (nothing between them); Black queen e5 and White rook a1 are on a diagonal (with the pawn b2 between them); White bishop d2 and White king f2 are on the 2nd rank (nothing between them).
White's legal moves (29): pawn a2: a3, a4; pawn b2: b3, b4; pawn c2: c3, c4; bishop d2: Bc3, Bb4, Ba5, Be3, Bf4, Bg5, Bh6, Be1, Bc1; king f2: Kf3, Kg1, Kf1; pawn g2: g3, g4; pawn h2: h3, h4; rook a1: Rb1, Rc1, Rd1, Re1, Rf1, Rg1, Rh1.
Engine best line: 1.Re1 Qxe1+ 2.Bxe1 f6 3.Ke2 b6 — winning (+4.0) for White.
After Re1, the opponent has 22 legal replies (the reply is NOT forced; the line shows the best one).

3 · What the coach said

You move the rook from a1 to the square e1. By doing that the rook stands on the same file as Black’s king on e8 and Black’s queen on e5, with nothing in between. Because the queen is now directly in front of its own king, it cannot move away – that is an absolute pin (the queen is “stuck” because moving would expose the king to check). Since the queen can’t get out, Black’s best try is to capture your rook with Qxe1+. You then take the queen back with your bishop from d2 to e1, so the queen is gone and you have won a piece. After a couple of normal moves (…f6, Ke2, b6) you end up a piece ahead, which is why the engine says the line is winning for White. Tip: When you see a line of pieces on the same file or diagonal that includes the opponent’s king, ask yourself whether any of the opponent’s pieces are directly in front of the king. If one is, that piece is likely pinned and can become a target.
Engine line: Re1 Qxe1+ Bxe1 f6 Ke2 b6. In the app you can ask Wingo about any position, and about your own wrong moves.

Solve pin puzzles at your level

extension12 pin 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 pins in your own games?

Our mistake finder checks your recent games with Stockfish and lists the 3 mistakes you repeat most. Missed pins 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 pin is there. In a game nobody does. Play Club Regular Sam, 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 Club Regular Sam (1000)arrow_forwardSolid fundamentals, comfortable in the opening.About Club Regular Samarrow_forwardHow this bot plays, and tips to beat it.

Train this in the app

Lesson: Attack the pinned piecearrow_forwardA pinned piece can't run away. Attack it again! With hints, stars and your progress saved.Endless pin puzzlesarrow_forwardRated puzzles on this theme at your level, plus puzzles made from your own mistakes.

Keep going

Skewerarrow_forwardA skewer is a pin in reverse: you attack a valuable piece, it has to move out of the way, and you win the piece behind it.Discovered Attackarrow_forwardA discovered attack happens when one piece moves out of the way and uncovers an attack by the piece behind it.Removing the Defenderarrow_forwardRemoving the defender means capturing (or chasing away) the one piece that protects something important.Opening: Ruy Lópezarrow_forwardPut pressure on e5 indirectly by hitting the knight that defends it.