For instance, since pawns are the least valuable chess piece, they can be used to capture defended pieces. Pawns are extremely useful in the game and are far more powerful than meets the eye. If the attacked unit wasn't the King - say, a Rook - then it would be a Relative Skewer and should the situation require it, the Rook 'could' remain in place, at risk of being captured, for the sake of protecting whatever unit is behind.Īnimated example of a Relative Skewer AttackĪnimated example of an Absolute Skewer Attack With Absolute Skewers, because it's the King that's attacked, the King is in Check and, unless the attacker can be dealt with (by capture, or by blocking the Check with a Pawn or another Piece), the attacked King will have to step aside, allowing the attacking unit to capture the less valuable Pawn or Piece behind. The Absolute Skewer is where the more valuable piece in front is the King (this is the distinguishing feature between Absolute and Relative Skewers). Skewer attacks can be either 'Relative' or 'Absolute', as shown by the two animated images, below. Queens, rooks, and bishops can perform the skewer. After the more valuable piece moves away, the lesser piece can be captured. Or, the Fork attacks can be 'Absolute', which is when one of the attacked pieces includes the King.Īnimated example of a Relative Fork AttackĪnimated example of an Absolute Fork AttackĪ skewer is a move which attacks two pieces in a line, similar to a pin, except that the enemy piece of greater value is in front of the piece of lesser value. The queen is the most valuable piece (excluding the king), so it is usually not profitable for it to capture a defended piece.įork attacks can be either 'Relative', which is when the attacked units are any of the Pawns, Knights, Bishops, Rooks, or Queen(s). However, this is only useful if both pieces are undefended, or if one is undefended and the other is the opposing king. Queens are also excellent forking pieces, because they can move in eight different directions. By moving a pawn forward, it may attack two pieces one diagonally to the left and one diagonally to the right. The opponent cannot choose to defend the other piece, and thus cannot use a zwischenzug to complicate the situation. Such "king forks" are particularly effective, because the opponent is forced by the rules of the game to alleviate the threat to the king. A common situation is a knight jumping to c2 or c7, thereby threatening both the enemy rook and the king. Knights are often used for forks, with their unique moving and jumping ability. Kasparov played 12.Nc7+, which forks black's king and rook on a8.Ī fork is a move that uses one piece to attack two or more of the opponent's pieces simultaneously, hoping to achieve material advantage, since the opponent can only counter one of the two threats. Material gain can be accomplished by several different types of tactics. In amateur games however, tactics are often overlooked by one player, and so the execution of tactics for material gain is the most common way to achieve a decisive advantage.
At the professional level, it's often merely the threat of material loss that causes one player or the other to fall into a strategically worse position. The goal and threat of each basic tactic is to win material. When one player is able to capture an opponent's piece or pieces without losing any of his own, that player is said to have gained material, that is, he will have more pieces on the board. Use a zwischenzug (create a counter-threat).Pin the attacking piece so the capture becomes illegal or unprofitable.Guard the attacked piece and permit an exchange.Interpose another piece in between the two, if the attacker is not a knight.Attacking a piece usually, but not always (see sacrifice), forces the opponent to respond if the attacked piece is undefended, or if the attacking piece is of lower value than the attacked one. A piece is said to defend (or protect) a piece of the defender's color if, in case the defended piece were taken by the opponent, the defender could recapture right away. A piece is said to attack (or threaten) an opponent's piece if, in the next move, it could capture that piece.