Tactic · beginner
Pins in chess
A piece pinned to its king cannot legally move off the line. Pin the queen and win it.
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What a pin is
A piece pinned to its king cannot legally move off the line. Pin the queen and win it.
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.
3 puzzles, solved
Pin the Queen (beginner, White to move)add
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 (beginner, White to move)add
A pinned piece can't run away. Attack it again! Solution: 1.f4. f4! The pinned knight is attacked by a pawn and can't escape. The d6 pawn defends it, but a knight for a pawn is a great trade for you.
Attack the Pinned Piece (intermediate, White to move)add
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.
How to spot it in your games
- Is a piece stuck in front of something more valuable?
- The queen and king stand on the same file. Put a rook on that file.
- The knight can't move. Attack it with something cheap.
- The knight on c6 can't move because of the bishop on b5. Which pawn can attack it?