White’s king can’t capture the knight on f2–else their king would be in check by the black queen on f7 (the defender). This is usually done by a trade, threat or sacrifice that removes the defending piece. When a piece or important square is defended, then that piece or square can become vulnerable once you remove its defender. So, if white captures your knight, e3xf4, then you will capture their queen, Rxe2. Similarly, the white pawn on e3 is pinned by black’s rook on e8. Note that white’s pawn on g3 is pinned by the black queen on g6. This idea is known as a double attack (or fork). Black moves their knight to f4 and attacks the white king and queen at the same time. It’s a very useful tactical idea because it’s hard (or sometimes impossible) for your opponent to defend against multiple threats at the same time. Double Attack (Fork)Ī fork, or double-attack, occurs when you make 2 or more simultaneous threats. What should your next move be? And why? This cheat sheet is a training tool that will help you understand what you should try to achieve at various stages of the game. Chess can be very confusing to a beginner. The black king must move, then white’s queen will capture the black rook on a8. White plays 1.Qh8+ and demonstrates a skewer tactic. Moving the skewered piece will expose a lower-valued piece (or target) behind it. A skewer tactic is sometimes referred to as a “reversed pin”. In the case of a skewer the higher-valued piece is first in the line of attack. Skewers are related to pins, but they aren’t the same. White will probably capture black’s queen on the next move. The queen can’t escape because it’s illegal to leave your king in check. White’s bishop on e5 pins the black queen to the king. Because of it’s limited (or no) mobility, you can often find a way to take advantage of a pinned piece. PinĪ pin occurs when an attacked piece can’t move since doing so would expose another, more valuable, target. Here’s examples of the 5 most important tactical motifs a beginner should know. It becomes a lot easier to win more games when you know a few common chess tactics. 5 Chess Tactics Patterns a Beginner Should Know
#CHESS TACTICS PRACTICE HOW TO#
It’s useful for a beginner to study these tactics because it teaches you how to exploit the targets in your opponent’s position. If your opponent makes a mistake, it’s your tactical skill that will help you take advantage of it. In chess circles, such patterns are also referred to as themes, motifs or tactical ideas. The tactics that typically appear in chess games often resemble recognizable patterns. On this page you will learn the most important tactical motifs that a beginner should know. The quickest way for a beginner to improve their chess, is to learn the basics of chess tactics.