Hi everyone! The following lessons will show many of the different tactics and positional ideas that can arise in the middlegame. In the previous lesson we learned the opening principles and how to get our pieces to strong, active squares. Now we will see what kind of opportunities arise because we follow the opening principles!
There are many different positional ideas that can lead to tactics (sequences of moves that give us an advantage), and by creating tactical threats, we will be able to put pressure on our opponents and win some games!
Let's start with our first tactical ideas: the pin, and the reverse idea, the skewer.
A piece is considered "pinned" when moving it would result in a more important piece being attacked (e.g. a King or Queen)
In the diagram above, both of Black's knights are pinned. The Knight on c6 is pinned to the King. It cannot move because the King would be in check, which would be an illegal move. Technically the Knight on f6 can legally move; however, it would be a terrible idea because White would capture the Queen!
A common beginner mistake involving a pin:
As you can see, the pin can be a very dangerous idea! For this reason, be very careful when you put your king and queen on the same file or row.
A Skewer occurs when you attack a piece, forcing it to move out of the way so that you can take the piece behind it.
Try this fun puzzle (Hint: You might need to use more than one type of tactic!):
White used both the pin and the skewer to win the black queen!
Always be on the lookout for pins and skewers in your own games (watch for ones that your opponent can do to you too!). They can be very useful tools to gain a big advantage!
Let's move onto our next tactical idea: The Fork. A fork occurs when you use one piece to attack 2 or more of your opponent's pieces. Here are some examples of Forks:
Try this puzzle:
Forks are a great way to win material. Always be watching for ways to fork your opponents pieces, and of course be aware of your opponent trying to fork you!
Our next topic: Discovered Check and the Windmill
Discovered Check occurs when you move a piece out of the way of another piece in order to put your opponent's king in check. This is a very fun concept that can help you win a lot of material!
Here is a very common opening trap featuring a discovered check (I got to use this at the IHSA State Tournament my Senior year at board 1):
Using the concept of Discovered Check, we can occasionally play a really fun tactic that can win a ton of material called a Windmill:
Try out this puzzle, and see how many of Black's pieces you can win using this concept:
Ok, so obviously that was an extreme case. Most Windmills won't win quite that much material, but this really illustrates just how powerful this tactic with Discovered Check can be!
And our last concept for this lesson: Double Check
Double Check is exactly what it sounds like: putting your opponent in check with 2 pieces at the same time. Anytime this occurs, the King must move. There is no possible situation where a double check can be blocked. A double check will almost always occur in the form of a Discovered Check where the piece that moves out of the way also puts the King in Check!
Check out this amazing double check that is actually checkmate!
Always be looking for tactics in your games. Sometimes you might see a tactical idea that does not quite work for some reason. See if you have a way to make it work! Even if you can't, just having the threat of a tactic can be very helpful in restricting your opponent's options and putting him on defense. Making threats is a very important concept in chess, and being aware of these basic tactics is a great way to identify potential threats that you can make or that your opponent can make.
Hi everyone! The following lessons will show many of the different tactics and positional ideas that can arise in the middlegame. In the previous lesson we learned the opening principles and how to get our pieces to strong, active squares. Now we will see what kind of opportunities arise because we follow the opening principles!
There are many different positional ideas that can lead to tactics (sequences of moves that give us an advantage), and by creating tactical threats, we will be able to put pressure on our opponents and win some games!
Let's start with our first tactical ideas: the pin, and the reverse idea, the skewer.
A piece is considered "pinned" when moving it would result in a more important piece being attacked (e.g. a King or Queen)
In the diagram above, both of Black's knights are pinned. The Knight on c6 is pinned to the King. It cannot move because the King would be in check, which would be an illegal move. Technically the Knight on f6 can legally move; however, it would be a terrible idea because White would capture the Queen!
A common beginner mistake involving a pin:
As you can see, the pin can be a very dangerous idea! For this reason, be very careful when you put your king and queen on the same file or row.
A Skewer occurs when you attack a piece, forcing it to move out of the way so that you can take the piece behind it.
Try this fun puzzle (Hint: You might need to use more than one type of tactic!):
White used both the pin and the skewer to win the black queen!
Always be on the lookout for pins and skewers in your own games (watch for ones that your opponent can do to you too!). They can be very useful tools to gain a big advantage!
Let's move onto our next tactical idea: The Fork. A fork occurs when you use one piece to attack 2 or more of your opponent's pieces. Here are some examples of Forks:
Try this puzzle:
Forks are a great way to win material. Always be watching for ways to fork your opponents pieces, and of course be aware of your opponent trying to fork you!
Our next topic: Discovered Check and the Windmill
Discovered Check occurs when you move a piece out of the way of another piece in order to put your opponent's king in check. This is a very fun concept that can help you win a lot of material!
Here is a very common opening trap featuring a discovered check (I got to use this at the IHSA State Tournament my Senior year at board 1):
Using the concept of Discovered Check, we can occasionally play a really fun tactic that can win a ton of material called a Windmill:
Try out this puzzle, and see how many of Black's pieces you can win using this concept:
Ok, so obviously that was an extreme case. Most Windmills won't win quite that much material, but this really illustrates just how powerful this tactic with Discovered Check can be!
And our last concept for this lesson: Double Check
Double Check is exactly what it sounds like: putting your opponent in check with 2 pieces at the same time. Anytime this occurs, the King must move. There is no possible situation where a double check can be blocked. A double check will almost always occur in the form of a Discovered Check where the piece that moves out of the way also puts the King in Check!
Check out this amazing double check that is actually checkmate!
Always be looking for tactics in your games. Sometimes you might see a tactical idea that does not quite work for some reason. See if you have a way to make it work! Even if you can't, just having the threat of a tactic can be very helpful in restricting your opponent's options and putting him on defense. Making threats is a very important concept in chess, and being aware of these basic tactics is a great way to identify potential threats that you can make or that your opponent can make.