The Essential Chess Tactics Guide: Spotting Forks, Pins, and Skewers

Tactics are the dynamic building blocks of chess victory. As Grandmaster Richard Teichmann famously said: “Chess is 99% tactics.”

Mastering these essential motifs will instantly elevate your tactical awareness and help you spot game-winning moves.

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1. The Pin (Absolute vs. Relative)

A pin occurs when an attacking piece targets an enemy piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it:

• Absolute Pin: The piece behind is the King. Moving the pinned piece is illegal.
• Relative Pin: The piece behind is the Queen or Rook. Moving is legal, but will result in severe material loss.

Winning Technique: “Attack the pinned piece.” Add attackers until the defense runs out of protectors.

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2. The Fork (Double Attack)

A fork occurs when a single piece attacks two or more enemy targets simultaneously.

• Knight Forks: Particularly deadly because knights jump over pieces and cannot be blocked.
• Pawn Forks: Inexpensive pawns attacking two minor pieces often win decisive material.

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3. The Skewer (Reverse Pin)

Unlike a pin, a skewer attacks the more valuable piece directly in front. When that piece flees, the piece sitting behind it is captured.

• Example: A Rook checks the King along a rank, forcing the King to move aside and exposing an undefended Queen behind it.

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4. Discovered Attack & Discovered Check

A discovered attack happens when moving one piece unleashes an attack from another piece standing behind it.

• Discovered Check: Gives your moving piece total freedom to capture or create double threats, because the opponent is forced to respond to the check first.

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Put Your Tactics into Practice

Whenever you find yourself unsure of the tactical balance in your match, test the position in the Next Move Chess Analyzer to see the engine’s tactical breakdown.