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Tactic · Improver

Trapped Piece in chess

A piece is trapped when every square it could move to is attacked or blocked.

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touch_appTry it: Attack a piece that has no safe square to run to, and win it.

What is a trapped piece in chess?

A piece is trapped when every square it could move to is attacked or blocked. Attack it and it can't escape, so you win it. Knights on the edge and bishops shut in by pawns are trapped most often.

  • Count the escape squares of an enemy piece that has wandered forward.
  • If they're all covered, attack it with something cheap, often a pawn.

How it works, step by step

A piece is trapped when every square it could move to is attacked or blocked. Attack it, and it can't escape, so you win it. Knights near the edge and bishops shut in by pawns get trapped most often.
How to spot it: count the escape squares of the enemy piece. If they are all covered, find a cheap piece (often a pawn) that can attack it. The black knight's squares: e4, f3 and h3 are covered by your pawns and king; e6, f7 and h7 are blocked by its own pawns.

A worked example

Trap the knight: White to move. Attack a piece that has no safe square to run to, and win it.

Solution: 34.f4 h5 35.fxg5. f4! The knight is attacked and has nowhere to go: every square is covered or blocked by Black's own pawns. Next move fxg5 wins it.

Solve trapped piece puzzles at your level

extension12 trapped piece 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 trapped pieces in your own games?

Our mistake finder checks your recent games with Stockfish and lists the 3 mistakes you repeat most. Missed trapped pieces are counted under "Leaving pieces hanging". 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 trapped piece is there. In a game nobody does. Play Grandma Rosa, 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 Grandma Rosa (1100)arrow_forwardPatient grinder. Trades down and wins the endgame.About Grandma Rosaarrow_forwardHow this bot plays, and tips to beat it.

Train this in the app

Lesson: Trap the knightarrow_forwardAttack a piece that has no safe square to run to, and win it. With hints, stars and your progress saved.Endless trapped piece puzzlesarrow_forwardRated puzzles on this theme at your level, plus puzzles made from your own mistakes.

Keep going

Hanging Piecesarrow_forwardA piece is hanging when it is attacked and nothing defends it: you can take it for free.Pinarrow_forwardA pin is when a piece can't move because a more valuable piece stands behind it on the same line.Forkarrow_forwardA fork is one piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time.Opening: Ruy Lópezarrow_forwardPut pressure on e5 indirectly by hitting the knight that defends it.