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Boo~[I: Introduction
The Double Attack
The Discovered Attack
Predator at the Chessboard
A Field Guide to Chess Tactics
Book I: Introduction
The Double Attack
The Discovered Attack
Ward Farnsworth
www.wardfarnsworth.com
Book I: Table of Contents
Introductory Matters 5
2.1.1. Introduction 20
2.1.2. Seeing Potential Forks 26
2.1.3. The Pinned Guard 29
2.1.4. Exchanging Away the Guard J2
2.1.5. Distracting the Guard 36
2.1.6. Getting Out of You r Own Way 45
2.1.7. Unsuitable T argets 48
2.1.8. Playing Defective Knight Forks 52
2.1.9. Checking the King into Position
2.1.10. Using Mult iple Che<:ks "
69
2.1.11. Using Mate Threats to Force Pieces into Position 7J
2.1.12. Strategic Implications 76
2.1.13. Sununary 79
2.2. The Qu~n Fork 81
2.2.1. Introduction 81
2.2.2. Simple Cases: Forking the King and a Loose Piece 81
2.2.3. Using the Side of the Board During the Opening 87
2.2.4. Making the Fork ing S-quare Available 91
2.2.5. Loosening the Target by Exchanging It 94
2.2.6. Loosening the Target by Disabling its Guards %
2.2.7. Moving the Enemy King into Position 98
2.2.8. Clea ring the Path to the Forking S-quare 104
2.2.9. Clea ring Paths to the Targets 108
2.2.10. More Complicated Cases 114
2.2.11. Using Mate Threats 118
2.2.12. Mate Threats with Attacks on Underdefended PilX:es 127
2.2.13. Other Mating Threats 130
2.2.14. Attacking Two Loose PilX:es 1}3
2.2.15. Attacking Two Loose Pieces: More Procedures 138
2.2.16. The Enemy Queen as a Target 143
2.2.17. Sununary: Strategic Implications 147
Why Another Book About Them? This method of organization makes it easier to
learn in a systematic way about tactics and the
Since tactics are the most entertaining and issues that come up in using them. Every idea
important part of chess, it comes as no sur- is shown in several contexts so that it will
prise that there have been many books written sink in and the persistent features of the pat-
about them. This site—which amounts to an- tern become familiar to you. And the many
other book, and not a short one—thus requires examples of each complication also will make
a few words of justification. It differs from all it easier to recognize patterns during your
the prior work in several important respects. games: you will start to sense that the position
on the board almost resembles a recognizable
Most books about chess tactics follow one of pattern and almost lends itself to a known
two patterns. Some describe important tactical tactical theme. Then you can experiment with
ideas—forks, pins, etc.—and explain their forcing moves (e.g., checks and captures that
logic a bit, then provide perhaps a dozen ex- require predictable replies from your oppo-
amples of how each tactic works. The other nent) to make it work. The idea guides the
sort of book presents pages of diagrammed experimentation. But to have the idea in the
problems for the reader to solve; the answers first place—to see, for example, that condi-
usually are given in the back with minimal tions on the board suggest a possible knight
commentary. Both types of books are valu- fork, even if the exact means of getting there
able, especially when used together, but I long has yet to be worked out—you need a reper-
have felt there was a place for a different ap- toire of known tactical patterns that can be
proach. This project attempts to fill the gap. stimulated by the positions you see. The pat-
terns studied here, in all their little variations, This project especially is meant for those who
are meant to go into the reader's store of vis- like explanations in words. Not everyone
ual knowledge and become the basis of useful does; some students of chess prefer just dia-
intuitions and ideas. grams with lists of the moves required to
solve them. But I suspect that those who do
Trains of thought explained. Chess tactics think best in words will find it helpful—more
tend to involve the use of certain root ideas— interesting, easier to understand, and more
cognitive riffs—that get repeated and com- likely to improve their play—to have the solu-
bined in various ways. The explanations here tions to problems explained out in English.
are meant to explain and reinforce those ideas These are matters of taste, and you, gentle
so they become a natural part of your thought reader, may not think the world really needs
process at the board. more words about chess. But if you do share
this sense of mine, and have not found that
Here is a slightly larger statement of the point. most books about chess explain it in a way
The quality of your chess is determined by the that speaks to you or affects your play, per-
quality of your train of thought when deciding haps this site will change your relationship to
what move to make. The train of thought may the game.
be partly verbal, partly visual, or partly intui-
tive, but in any case it will involve a sequence
in which you consider candidate moves and
their pros and cons. The climb from novice to 1.3. The Elements of Tactics: A Primer.
something better largely is a move from me-
andering, unsystematic trains of thought to
more methodical and fruitful ones. For the 1.3.1 The Double Threat.
beginner it therefore is helpful to see more
than just a list of the correct moves that solve If you are new to chess, the sequences that
a chess problem; it helps to hear what ques- good players use to win games may seem
tions one might have asked to spot the pattern impossibly complicated. But most of them
and discover the correct moves for oneself. actually are based on just a few general con-
Thus every example here is accompanied by cepts combined ingeniously and persistently.
commentary explaining not just the right This frame and the ones that follow explain
moves but a train of thought that leads from the concepts broadly. The rest of the site
the position to its solution. teaches their use in detail.
The trains of thought offered in the commen- The most important idea in chess is the dou-
taries emphasize the use of clues: signs to ble threat. Generally speaking a double threat
search for during your games that indicate a is any move you make that presents your op-
tactic might be available. The explanations ponent with two problems at the same time.
show how the same sets of questions, some of Since each player can make just one move per
them simple, can generate impressive tactical turn, your opponent only has time to address
ideas when they are asked and answered me- one of the threats you have made. On your
thodically. Some trains of thought thus are next turn you execute the other one. Maybe
repeated many times. The repetition would be your first move checks his king and attacks
inexcusable if the purpose of the project were another of his pieces at the same time; or
just to transmit information, for then once maybe you threaten one of his pieces and are
would be enough. But the purpose is other- building a threat of checkmate elsewhere. The
wise; it is to help change your mental habits at result is the same: your opponent has to spend
the board, and for this purpose an extra meas- his next move dealing with your threat against
ure of clarity and some repetition both are his king, and then you get to take the other
helpful. piece you were threatening.
The universe of chess tactics can be divided [Note: A fifth family of tactical operations
into four or five great families of ideas, each involves mating patterns: characteristic ways
of them a variation on the logic of the double that kings get trapped. These are treated in the
threat. This site is organized around them: last section of this site. They do not necessar-
ily involve the logic of the double threat in the
1. The first family, and the best-known type way that those tactical devices just described
of double threat, is the fork — a move where do. We also are leaving aside a few other,
one of your pieces attacks two enemy pieces more minor families of tactics for now.]
at the same time. You no doubt have seen
examples of knight forks if you have played 1.3.2 The Loose Piece.
chess for a while; the knight naturally lends
itself to moves in which it attacks two pieces Another key idea in chess is the loose piece.
at once. But the same idea can be executed A loose piece is simply a piece that has no
with your queen or with other pieces, as we protection. It is common for players to leave
shall see. pieces unprotected here and there; as long as
they aren’t being attacked, they look safe
2. A second type of double threat, and another enough. But loose pieces make perfect targets
family of tactical ideas, is the discovered at- for the double threats described a moment
tack. This occurs when you move one of your ago. Suppose your queen performs a fork,
pieces out of the way of another so that both attacking your opponent’s king and one of his
of them make separate attacks against your rooks at the same time. He moves his king.
opponent. Again, he only has time to parry Now you can use your queen to take his
one of the threats. You play out the other one rook—if it is unprotected. But if the rook is
on your next move. guarded you won’t be able to take it because
the cost will be too high: your queen will be
3. A third family of tactical ideas involves the captured afterwards.
pin or skewer. These occur when two of your
opponent’s pieces are on the same line and We can turn this point into advice for practi-
you place an attacker so that it runs through cal play. You want to be aware of loose
both of them. In effect you again are making a pieces on the board at all times. Any piece
double threat—one threat against the piece in your opponent has left unguarded is a possible
front and another against the piece behind it. target for a tactical strike; any piece of yours
that is left unguarded is a vulnerability. In-
4. And then there are countless other situa- deed, you want to not only notice loose en-
tions that may be lumped under the heading emy pieces but also look for ways to create
of removing the guard, in which you capture them. We will see countless examples in the
or harry an enemy piece that guards some- studies to come. ("Loose pieces" also can be
thing else you want to take. Your opponent defined to include enemy pieces that are un-
can’t defend against both threats on the one derdefended: attacked once and defended
turn allowed to him, so you are able to play once by a fellow piece. As we shall see,
one of them or the other. pieces in that condition sometimes can make
targets just as good as pieces with no protec-
In effect most games of chess are contests to tion at all.)
see who can find a way to use one of those
tactical techniques first. One successful fork The great chess writer Cecil Purdy stated the
(or discovery, or skewer, etc.) often decides a point as a rule: "Never leave or place a piece
game by giving one player an insurmountable loose without first looking for a possible fork
advantage over the other. This is why Richard or pin, and never see an enemy piece loose
Teichmann said that chess is 99% tactics; and without doing the same." Do you follow this
it is why mastery of tactics is the key to hav- advice already? Many inexperienced players
ing fun at the chessboard, not to mention win- don't. When they put a piece onto a new
ning. square, they mostly just check to make sure it
won't get taken there. Purdy's advice is differ- forcing moves because they so powerfully
ent. It is to ask whether your piece has protec- limit your opponent's choice of replies.
tion on its new square; and if it doesn't, to ask
carefully whether a fork or pin or other tactic This notion of forcing moves helps clear up
might be launched against it. You may not yet some common confusions about chess. No
understand quite what it means to look for doubt you have heard about good players see-
forks or pins, but you will soon; and then fol- ing ahead five moves, or a dozen moves, or
lowing Purdy's counsel will save you many more; how do they do that when their oppo-
sorrows. nents have so many possible responses to pick
from? The usual answer is that their oppo-
nents don’t have so many choices after all.
Suppose I think like this: if I take your knight
1.3.3 The Forcing Move. with my bishop, you will have to recapture
my bishop; then if I check your king, you will
Sometimes in chess you do whatever you have to move it over one square; then if I
want to do and then your opponent does check your king on its new square, you will
whatever he wants to do. Other times it’s dif- have to block my check; then your rook will
ferent: if you capture his knight with your be left loose and I will take it. In this case I
bishop, for example, he pretty much has to have seen ahead four moves, but notice that I
recapture your bishop; otherwise he simply is didn’t have to keep track of a lot of possible
short a piece and probably will lose. (The variations. To each of my moves you only had
other pieces belonging to both sides gradually one plausible reply. I just had to realize this.
will be exchanged away, and you will end up Of course sometimes your opponent will have
with the only attacking piece left on the more than one plausible reply, and in that case
board.) you will need to keep track of some variations
after all (“if he does this, I’ll do that; if he
Another example: If you check your oppo- does the other thing, then I go to plan B,”
nent’s king, he can’t do whatever he wants in etc.). And it’s true that very strong players
reply; he has to either move the king, block can keep straight lots of variations. But it’s
the check, or capture the piece you have used also true that a lot of great tactical sequences
to make the threat. And if you make a move consist entirely of forced moves that make it
that will enable you to deliver checkmate on not so hard to see ahead.
your next turn—a “mating threat”—your op-
ponent likewise will have to address it imme- Once you grasp the idea of forcing moves it
diately. also is easier to understand how to come up
with nifty tactical ideas during your games.
Checks, captures, and mate threats therefore Of course you might like to unleash a fork or
are known as forcing moves. In other words, discovery or skewer, but what if no such
they are moves that force your opponent to moves are possible when it’s your turn? Do
pick from a small set of possible replies. They you wait around for a fork to become avail-
are the essence of tactical chess; they allow able? No; your first job when you are decid-
you to dictate your opponent’s moves and ing what move to play is to examine your
thus control how the board will look two or possible forcing moves: any checks, captures,
three or more moves from now. Other types or mating threats you can offer. You don't
of moves may be "forcing" as well, mind you: look at these things just as ends in them-
any threat you make against your opponent— selves; you ask what moves your opponent
for example, a simple threat to take one of his would be forced to make in reply, and
pieces on your next move—may force him to whether you then would be able to play a fork
reply in a certain way. This happens all the or discovery or skewer or some other tactic. If
time, and we will see examples as we go. But the answer is no, you imagine playing another
checks, captures, and mate threats tend to be forcing move after the first one and then ask
the most interesting and important kind of the same questions.
The point of experimenting with forcing during a game, because most great tactical
moves, in short, is that they change the look ideas involve one of those elements or the
of the board. They may open up lines that other.
currently are cluttered; they may cause your
opponent to leave pieces loose that now have 1.3.4 Strategy vs. Tactics.
protection; they may make him line up pieces
that are not now on the same line; they may Often you will look at your forcing moves
make him put his king where it can be and decide they lead nowhere. That’s fine;
checked. Your task is to imagine the board as now you instead play a strategic move rather
it would look after your forcing moves and than a tactical one—a move that improves the
see if changes such as those would create tac- quality of your position without trying di-
tical openings for you. Gradually a pattern rectly to win your opponent’s pieces or mate
you recognize may emerge—the makings of a his king. But strategy and tactics are linked,
fork or discovery or other idea. since one goal of strategic, “positional” play
is to increase the power of your pieces and
With practice this becomes second nature: if create fertile conditions for tactical strikes on
your rook is aimed at your opponent’s knight, later moves. Sometimes this is a matter of
you automatically consider capturing the arranging your pieces so that they have more
knight and allowing your rook to be taken. freedom of movement and denying the same
This would be a sacrifice, of course, since freedoms to your opponent; sometimes it is a
rooks are more valuable than knights, but matter of coordinating your pieces so that
great tactical ideas routinely begin with sacri- they are aimed at the same sector of the
fices like that. The question is whether the board; sometimes it is a matter of arranging
exchange of your rook for his knight would your pawns to help achieve those same pur-
leave you with a chance to play a fork or poses for your pieces. At the end of our study
other double threat—or with a chance to play of each tactical family (and sometimes more
another forcing move that isn’t yet possible. often), we will pause to consider its strategic
Maybe after your rook is captured you then implications: what the tactical ideas teach
can play a check that wasn’t available before; about the right sorts of moves to play when
and maybe after your opponent responds to there is no such tactic yet available.
the check you then will have a fork. But it all
starts by thinking about a simple capture you All this talk of weaponry admittedly is ab-
can make and its consequences. stract. It will become concrete in the studies
that follow. We will look at over a thousand
Likewise, you generally don’t want to make tactical sequences. The rough structure of
any moves without being aware of any checks most of these sequences, and of a large share
you give and their consequences. Checks are of all the great tactical moves ever played in
the most forcing moves of all because your chess, is similar; it involves the elements just
opponent is required to reply by moving his described. First there are some forcing
king, taking the piece that threatens it, or moves—checks or captures or mating threats
moving a piece between them. This usually that limit your opponent’s replies. Then there
makes it easy to see what a check will require is a denouement: a double threat, such as a
your opponent to do. And since a check often fork or discovered attack or one of the other
forces your opponent to move his king, it may themes we will consider, that becomes possi-
lead directly to tactics that make the king a ble after the forcing moves have changed the
target—a fork with the king at one end, or a board. As a result you are able to take a loose
pin with a king at the rear, or for that matter or underprotected enemy piece. We can call
checkmate. this a combination. The variations on this
pattern are limitless, and there is much to
Looking at any checks and captures you have know about its details: how to spot forcing
to offer is like looking for loose pieces on the moves and figure out their consequences, and
board: these are things you do all the time how to spot the patterns suggesting that a fork
or pin is in order. You can spend a lifetime tinguish it from the King (“K”). Pawns are
building your understanding of those things named by their squares, so that “d4-d5”
and gaining skill at carrying them out under means the pawn on d4 moves to d5. Some-
time pressure. But as you get started it all may times in this book (and routinely in other
be more manageable if you consider these books) a pawn move is described without
studies as variations on the single idea just bothering to name the square it came from:
described. one simply says "1. d5," and everyone under-
stands this means that the pawn on the d-file
The rest of this introductory section will be moves to d5.
discussing chess notation and jargon, then
some more technical aspects of the site. This 3. Captures are described with an “x” between
therefore is a good time for a reminder that if the names of the pieces capturing and being
you want to skip any or all of that stuff, per- captured. So QxB means queen takes bishop;
haps because you already are comfortable Rxa5 means the rook captures the pawn on
reading about chess positions and want to cut a5; and h7xN means the pawn on h7 captures
right to some lessons, you can go back to the the opposing knight.
table of contents and navigate from there by
using the link near the upper right corner of This last point is the way that the notation
this screen. here varies from the usual algebraic notation
in other books. Algebraic notation normally
describes a capture by just referring to the
square where it occurs. Thus if White’s queen
1.4 Notation; Jargon; the Look of the Site; takes Black’s rook on the f6 square, most
Hard Copies. chess books would say “Qxf6”; but on this
site we will say “QxR.” The reason for the
difference is that this site is meant primarily
1.4.1. Notation and Jargon. for people who haven’t read other chess
books before (as noted before, it's a chess
This site makes every effort to explain every- book for people who don't like chess books),
thing in words, but when describing a series and for that audience the notation used here
of chess moves it often is convenient to use will be more intuitive. It's easy to understand
abbreviations to describe them. Those abbre- that “QxB” means “queen takes bishop”: easy
viations are known in chess as notation. This to imagine, and easy to find on the board.
site generally uses the “algebraic” notation “Qxf6,” however, has to be translated into
employed in most chess books, though with a “queen takes bishop” by looking at the board,
small difference explained below. Despite the finding f6, and seeing what piece is there.
unpleasant label, it's very easy to understand. That’s easy when you know instinctively
Most of it can be figured out as you read, but where f6 is, but most readers of this project
here is what you need to know about how it probably will find it faster to locate the bishop
works: than to locate f6. The real benefits of naming
captures by the squares where they occur
1. Squares are named by their coordinates— come when describing long sequences, and
a4, e5, h8, etc.; these should be self explana- few of the sequences here will be all that
tory, since every diagram includes numbers long. (The approach used here is similar to the
running up the side of the board and letters one used in Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, a
along the bottom. The numbered horizontal well-executed book for beginners.)
rows are called ranks. The vertical columns
named by letters are called files. This approach to describing captures should
be easy to follow for readers already used to
2. Pieces are named by their first letter. Q = ordinary algebraic notation; anyone can un-
queen; R = rook; etc. The only exception is derstand what QxB means even if they are
the knight, which is referred to as “N” to dis- used to reading Qxf6. The gripe I anticipate
from those who get worked up about these 6. Sequences of moves are described in pairs,
things is that if readers become used to this with the White move first. Thus a game might
approach they will find it hard to read alge- begin 1. e2-e4, e7-e5 [again, this could have
braic notation in other books: they will see, been written "1. e4, e5"]; 2. Nf3, Nc6; 3. Bb5,
say, “Qxf6” elsewhere and have trouble re- a7-a6; 4. BxN, d7xB. This means that White
membering that the other author means to say started by moving his e-pawn forward two
the queen captures whatever piece is on f6, squares, and that Black then did the same;
not that the queen captures the f6 pawn (as it then on White’s second turn he moved his
will mean here). I regard this as a trivial com- knight to f3, and then Black moved his knight
plaint; the reader of this site who does move to c6. White brought out his bishop. Black
on to other books should have no trouble chased it with his pawn on the a-file. White
making the transition if the above explanation replied by taking Black's knight. Black recap-
is kept in mind (or just figuring it out on the tured with pawn on c6. The position on the
fly; for this explanation makes the whole left illustrates the result.
business sound more confusing than it is in
practice). It's not that big a deal. When we look at positions from the middle of
a game (as we generally will) we will de-
4. Turning back to the notation rules, castling scribe White’s first move in that position with
is indicated by writing 0-0 (if it's on the side the numeral “1” (as something like “1. Nf5,”
of the board where the king starts) or 0-0-0 (if for example). We call it “1” because it’s the
it's on the queenside: long castling, as it is first move in the pictured position, even
called). though it’s not the first move in the game.
5. Now a couple of minor points that don't If we want to start by describing a move of
come up often; you probably don't need to Black’s, we do it by saying something like:
worry about them, but for the sake of com- “Black can play 1. …Nf5.” The “1” followed
pleteness: if a capture is made en passant, by the three dots indicates that we’re looking
that's indicated by writing "ep" afterwards or at the first pair of moves in the position but
some variant. (I'm assuming you know what that we’re starting with the second half of the
an en passant capture is, but if you don't, I'll pair: in other words, with Black’s move.
explain it if it ever gets used here—and in the
meantime you easily can find an explanation 7. A plus sign after a move (like this: Rh8+)
of it elsewhere on the web.) Second, if one of means that the move checks the enemy king.
your pawns reaches the opponent's back rank, A "#" sign after a move (like this: Rh8#)
it gets promoted to some other more powerful means that the move is checkmate (or simply
piece of your choice—usually the queen, “mate,” as we more commonly say).
though very occasionally some other choice
works better. We indicate promotion with an 8. It often happens that a player can sacrifice
equal sign: f7-f8=Q means the pawn on f7 a knight or bishop to win an enemy rook.
moves to f8 and becomes a queen. Again, I'll Since rooks are more valuable than knights or
say more about this wherever it pops up. bishops, a player who does this is said to have
“won the exchange.” If we reach a stage of
Finally, if more than one piece could be indi- the game where I have, say, a bishop and a
cated by a description (in other words, if I rook and you have a bishop and a knight, I am
refer to "R" but there are two rooks on the said to be “ahead the exchange.”
board and it's not obvious which one is
meant), sometimes the coordinate of the piece 9. A piece is said to be “loose” if it has no
will be given as well. So Rc8xN means the defenders. It is “hanging” if it is exposed to
rook on c8 (not some other rook) captures the capture; you hang your queen if you leave it
opponent's knight. Occasionally this approach where your opponent can take it for free. This
also will be used just for clarity's sake even if also is known as leaving a piece en prise.
there is no technical reason for confusion.
1.4.2. The Value of the Pieces. If you use Mozilla’s Firefox browser, you
likewise can fiddle with Tools …Options
This site assumes that you know how to play …Fonts & Colors. Check "Always use my
chess—in other words, how the pieces move. fonts"; then set your preferred font elsewhere
If you know that much, you probably also in that same window. The Microsoft browser
know which pieces are worth more than produces slightly better results for some peo-
which. But to be on the safe side, it is conven- ple (sorry!), but it may depend on what sort of
tional to rank the pieces in the following order monitor you use.
of value, with points given to them as indi-
cated to make it easier to work out whether a If none of this helps, please let me know. I'm
set of exchanges is favorable or unfavorable: still working on making the type easy to read
on every computer screen.
Queen = 9
Rook = 5
1.4.4. About the Dinosaurs.
Bishop = 3
This site is titled Predator at the Chessboard,
Knight = 3 and is decorated with dinosaurs; yet the dino-
saurs pictured are herbivores. Is this not a
Pawn = 1 contradiction of some sort? In fact it isn't; and
this, patient reader, for two reasons.
Gillam, Your Move (1994) Renaud and Kahn, The Art of the Checkmate
(1953)
Harding, Better Chess for Average Players
(1996) Robertie, Winning Chess Tactics (1996)
Hays, Combination Challenge (1991) Seirawan and Silman, Winning Chess Tactics
(1995)
Hays, Winning Chess Tactics for Juniors
(1994) Tal, Tal-Botvinnik 1960 (1970)
Horowitz, How to Win in the Chess Openings Vukovic, Art of Attack in Chess (1998 ed.)
(1951)
Walker, Chess Combinations (1999)
Horowitz and Reinfeld, First Book of Chess
(1952) Weeramantry, Best Lessons of a Chess Coach
(1993)
Ivaschenko, The Manual of Chess Combina-
tions (1997) Wilson and Albertson, 303 Tricky Chess Tac-
tics (1999)
Koltanowski and Finkelstein, Checkmate!
(1998) Znosko-Borovsky, The Art of Chess Combi-
nation (1959)
Koltanowski and Finkelstein, Checkmate
Strategies (1999)
Some positions also have appeared in Shelby man offers a number of good online resources
Lyman’s chess column in the Boston Globe or as well.
in Riga’s Chess magazine.
5. And for the reader simply looking for good,
A few notes on these: lively writing about chess, I suggest checking
out any of the writings of C.J.S. Purdy, start-
1. The books by Reinfeld and Hays probably ing with the one referenced above. He is
are the best collections of positions to solve if magnificent.
you are looking for practice (a number of po-
sitions from those books are discussed here);
Livshitz and Gillam also are excellent for that
purpose, as is the book by Lein and Ar- 1.6 Chess in Literature.
changelsky. Some Interesting Allusions to Chess.
James, The Figure in the Carpet (1896): Orwell, Homage to Catalonia (1938):
The figures on the chessboard were still the What purpose is served by saying that men
passions and jealousies and superstitions and like Maxton are in Fascist pay? Only the pur-
stupidities of man, and their position with pose of making serious discussion impossible.
regard to each other, at any given moment, It is as though in the middle of a chess tour-
could be of interest only to the grim, invisible nament one competitor should suddenly begin
fates who played the game – who sat, through screaming that the other is guilty of arson or
the ages, bow-backed over the table. bigamy. The point that is really at issue re-
mains untouched.
Churchill, The People’s Rights (1909):
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Autocrat of
Moves are made upon the scientific and stra- the Breakfast Table (1858):
tegic boards, advantages are gained by me-
chanical means, as a result of which scores of The whole force of conversation depends on
millions of men become incapable of further how much you can take for granted. Vulgar
resistance, or judge themselves incapable of chess-players have to play their game out;
further resistance, and a fearful game of chess nothing short of the brutality of an actual
proceeds from check to mate by which the checkmate satisfies their dull apprehensions.
unhappy players seem to be inexorably But look at two masters of that noble game!
bound. White stands well enough, so far as you can
see; but Red says, Mate in six moves;—White
Roosevelt, The Conditions of Success (1910): looks,—nods;—the game is over. Just so in
talking with first-rate men; especially when
There are exceptional cases, of course, where they are good-natured and expansive, as they
there is a man who can do just one thing, such are apt to be at table.
as a man who can play a dozen games of
chess or juggle with four rows of figures at Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Poet at the
once—and as a rule he can do nothing else. Breakfast Table (1872):
Chesterton, The Maniac (1908): Men's minds are like the pieces on a chess-
board in their way of moving. One mind
Poets are commonly spoken of as psychologi- creeps from the square it is on to the next,
cally unreliable; and generally there is a straight forward, like the pawns. Another
vague association between wreathing laurels sticks close to its own line of thought and
in your hair and sticking straws in it. Facts follows it as far as it goes, with no heed for
and history utterly contradict this view. Most others' opinions, as the bishop sweeps the
of the very great poets have been not only board in the line of his own color. And an-
other class of minds break through everything solitaire with the members of your own fam-
that lies before them, ride over argument and ily for pegs, if you like, and if none of them
opposition, and go to the end of the board, rebel. You can play checkers with a little
like the castle. But there is still another sort of community of meek, like-minded people. But
intellect which is very apt to jump over the when it comes to the handling of a great state,
thought that stands next and come down in you will find that nature has emptied a box of
the unexpected way of the knight. But that chessmen before you, and you must play with
same knight, as the chess manuals will show them so as to give each its proper move, or
you, will contrive to get on to every square of sweep them off the board, and come back to
the board in a pretty series of moves that the homely game such as I used to see played
looks like a pattern of embroidery, and so with beans and kernels of corn on squares
these zigzagging minds like the Master's, and marked upon the back of the kitchen bellows.
I suppose my own is something like it, will
sooner or later get back to the square next the Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Guardian
one they started from. Angel (1867):
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Ralph Waldo We often move to the objects of supreme cu-
Emerson (1891): riosity or desire, not in the lines of castle or
bishop on the chess-board, but with the
Inherited qualities move along their several knight's zigzag, at first in the wrong direction,
paths not unlike the pieces in the game of making believe to ourselves we are not after
chess. Sometimes the character of the son can the thing coveted.
be traced directly to that of the father or of the
mother, as the pawn's move carries him from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., The Guardian
one square to the next. Sometimes a series of Angel (1867):
distinguished fathers follows in a line, or a
succession of superior mothers, as the black With most men life is like backgammon, half
or white bishop sweeps the board on his own skill, and half luck, but with him it was like
color. Sometimes the distinguishing charac- chess. He never pushed a pawn without reck-
ters pass from one sex to the other indiffer- oning the cost, and when his mind was least
ently, as the castle strides over the black and busy it was sure to be half a dozen moves
white squares. Sometimes an uncle or aunt ahead of the game as it was standing.
lives over again in a nephew or niece, as if the
knight's move were repeated on the squares of
human individuality. It is not impossible,
then, that some of the qualities we mark in
Emerson may have come from the remote
ancestor whose name figures with distinction
in the early history of New England.
In this case, once the knight moves the White Dg013: White to move
queen is pinned by Black’s queen. So play
goes 1. …Nc2+; 2. Kf1, QxQ (without this But again the trick is to imagine the fork,
intermediate step, all is lost; do you see mentally placing the knight on f6 and not on
why?); 3. NxQ, NxR. This time the lesson is e4. Then you can see that once the knight
that you do not just ask whether the trouble- moves, the Black bishop becomes pinned to
some piece currently is pinned; you ask, too, Black’s queen by White’s queen—another
whether it would be pinned if you made the “discovered” pin. The point repeats: don’t just
forking move. ask whether moves are possible; picture
moves, visualize whatever countermoves
seem to make them impossible, and ask what
would then be possible if the countermoves
were made.
Dg023: Black has worries; he is up a piece That last idea is worth another minute of ex-
(though White has an extra pawn), but his planation if it's not already familiar. In sim-
queen is pinned by White's rook and seems plest terms, the point is this: if you have one
about to be lost—and his knight on f4 is hang- piece and your opponent has none, this lets
ing (in other words, it is under attack and has you dominate the game in a way that an edge
no protection). Look for counterplay before of five-to-four doesn't. So if you win a piece
falling into a defensive mindset. Black’s from your opponent and have five pieces
knight and White’s king and queen are on against his four, your usual goal is to ex-
dark squares, suggesting a possible fork at e2. change away the rest of the pieces on the
Alas, e2 is protected by the knight at d4. board, making captures when you can; finally
you are left with the only attacker (at which
point your opponent probably resigns, if not
sooner). Naturally it follows that if you can
start whittling down the number of pieces on
the board while you're gaining your edge in
the first place, you want to do so—as Black
does here by starting with QxR.
Dg025: White’s queen is under attack. The Dg026: White’s knight is on a dark square, as
obvious impulse would be to move it to pre- are Black’s king, queen, and both rooks; a
vent RxQ, but that would be premature. First fork at g6 suggests itself. The square is pro-
take stock of your offensive possibilities. tected—how many times? Twice: by the
Here you have a knight to work with; it's on a queen and by the pawn at h7. The pawn is
dark square, and so are Black’s king, queen, pinned by White’s queen, so the problem is
and rook—and the queen and rook can be just the defense of g6 by Black’s queen. Con-
forked by Nxf7. But the needed square is sider whether it is protecting any pieces that
guarded by Black’s king. Ask whether the you might take and you see that it guards the
king is protecting anything else White can rook at f8 and bishop at e5. You can’t capture
take, and see that it guards the Black rook. So: the bishop, but you can take the rook with
1. QxR+ (extinguishing the threat with a tem- RxR. This looks a lot like the previous prob-
porary sacrifice), KxQ; 2. Nxf7+ and when lem, but with a small difference: the rook at
the smoke clears White will have gained a f8 is protected twice—by the other rook at d8
rook. as well as by the queen. If Black retakes with
his other rook instead of with his queen, you
still won’t have a fork. But then you will have Dg028: This is the same as the previous prob-
another rook at f1 that you can use to attack lem but a move earlier. It is given here as a
again. Hence: 1. RxR+, RxR; 2. RxR+, QxR; little study in how the same train of thought
3. Nxg6+ and the fork is complete. Think of looks from a defensive perspective. It would
this just as a case where two exchanges were be easy for White to imagine that he can af-
needed to lure away the guardian rather than ford to play a3xB since then Black's QxR is
one. met with QxQ. But when Black’s knight is
placed this dangerously it is unwise to initiate
any exchanges without making sure that no
forking opportunities will be created for it—
as would be here.
Another way to think here, I suppose―the Dg052: What will the board then look like?
reader can judge its utility―is to say it's a Two things will have changed: the White
case where the knight isn't on the right col- knight will be off the board and the Black
ored square at the start, so it needs to make queen will have moved from e6 to e7. Both
two moves rather than one: first a move to a changes are significant. The removal of the
dark colored square, to match the one where knight creates an open line on the c-file, al-
the king sits; then, after the queen is likewise lowing the White queen to attack the rook at
moved to a dark square, the fork from g6. But c8; and the movement of the Black queen
notice that this pattern―two knight removes the rook’s protection, leaving it
moves―is likely to work only when the loose.
knight makes a threat on its first move which
You might as easily have seen the idea the
other way around: you observe that your bat-
tery of rooks on the g-file nearly is ready to
mate on g8, but that the bishop on g7 stands
in your way; this means the bishop is pinned
(we will see many studies like this in the
chapters on pins), and is not really defending
e5. Since the e5 pawn’s other defender also is
pinned (to its queen), e5 is available to your
knight for a possible fork.
Dg052: White to move In any event, if Black sees all this as well as
you do (and you should assume he will), the
So White then plays QxR+ and takes a rook actual consequences of the forking move
for a knight, winning the exchange. Nxe5 still require some thought. If he tries to
forfeit “only” the exchange by just moving his
queen and letting go of the rook on f7, Black
ends up losing more than that; for White can
instead take the rook on c4 at no cost. Notice
that once White plays Nxe5, the c4 rook is
attacked twice by White and protected only
once by Black. So the lesser evil for Black in
reply to 1. Nxe5 probably is 1. … d6xN; 2.
RxQ, RxRc6 losing his queen and a pawn in
return for a knight and a rook.
Dg099: Black to move Dg101: Search carefully for loose pieces and
checks. White has one piece that is unpro-
Dg099: You are looking for unprotected en- tected: the rook at a2. Black has three checks:
emy pieces and for checks, hoping to link Qe8, Qe6, and Qe4. You can match a check
them for profit. Scan for unprotected White with an attack on the rook with Qe6+; and e6
pieces and you find the knight (as well as the is unprotected. Black wins the rook.
queen, but again the knight makes a more
feasible target for a fork). Now look for
checks, and in particular for a match—a
check that also attacks the loose knight. Qf5+
or Qf1+ work (it’s important to see both,
since they may have different side conse-
quences), attacking both knight and king, and
winning the former after the latter moves.
Dg106: In this first example, examine the Study the pattern of open squares on the d and
protection each Black piece enjoys and notice c files here so that it is visually familiar to
that both rooks and (above all) the knight are you.
unguar-ded. Now ask what checks White’s
queen can administer and what else it can do Generally speaking, the most striking early
at the same time. You see that it can attack tipoff that a move like this may be possible is
Black's king by moving to a4, and that from the movement of pawns on the c or f files.
there it also attacks and wins the loose knight. Movement of the d and e pawns early in the
game is common; early movement of the c or
This is a classic pattern. A queen from its f pawns is a little less standard, and so should
starting position on the board often can check jump out at you as creating the possibility of
the enemy king by jumping to the a-file or the moves like we see here.
h-file, so long as the pawns blocking its
path—first its path to the side of the board,
and then its path to the enemy king—have
been moved out of the way. The key squares
to monitor are the c2/d7 pair and the e2/f7
pair for White; if either of those sets of
squares have been evacuated by their pawns,
the White queen may be able to check the
enemy king with one move and simultane-
ously attack a loose piece near the center.
Likewise the c7/d2 and e7/f2 pairs from
Black’s standpoint. When you see these pairs
of squares open up early while the enemy Dg108: Black to move
king still is in the center, think hard about any
moves or exchanges that would leave a piece Dg108: Here is a study in caution. White just
unprotected in the middle of the board, or that played the pawn capture d5xe6. Black must
would leave a piece there attacked once and respond; but how? The important thing to
protected once. notice is that White’s c and e pawns have
moved, creating open diagonals for his queen.
Dg107: Now the same idea from Black's side. If Black’s f-pawn moves (to play f7xe6), the
White has just made a capture that left his White queen suddenly will be able to check
knight loose in the middle of the board; he the Black king by moving to h5; if Black
thought the e5 square looked safe. But with plays Bxe6, White’s queen can check with
the d2 and c7 pawns both moved, see how Qa4. The reason this matters, of course, is that
Black’s queen can check the White king and Black has left a piece loose on a5. So Black
attack (and win) the loose knight with one mustn’t play f7xe6—as he did here, losing the
move: Qa5+. knight to the queen fork Qh5+. He is better
off using his d7 bishop to take the pawn on
e6; for then if White tries a queen fork on the White’s center and attacks Black’s knight,
other side—Qa4+—Black can both move his forcing it to move. But first you need to no-
knight to safety and block the check with tice that White’s d-pawn and Black’s c-pawn
Nc6. This is a common way that a good- have been moved—a normal state of affairs in
looking queen fork can be spoiled: the forked this opening. This means that Black’s queen
piece moves to block the check, and suddenly is one move away from being able to both
both threats are gone. check the White king and attack any White
pieces on the fifth rank, which White must
Another way to see this, naturally, would be therefore regard as a zone of great danger.
to start by keeping tabs on Black’s loose Playing e4-e5 thus is a mistake because it
pieces. Here he has a loose knight on the fifth leaves the pawn loose; it will be taken a move
rank. Loose pieces on the middle ranks often later by the double attack Qa5+. White should
are vulnerable to double attacks of this type instead protect the pawn with Nc3.
by the queen, especially early in the game; in
view of this vulnerability, Black should think
carefully before opening any fresh lines to his
own king. White can treat the situation as an
opportunity; in effect Black's f7 is subtly
pinned in place, since if it steps forward
White has a queen fork.
Dg114: White to move Dg116: Notice the checks Black has with his
queen: Qd1, Qe2, and Qxe5 (never overlook a
check just because the needed square already
is occupied by the enemy). Consider whether draw the knight onto e6 so that the queen can
any of those moves also attacks anything else capture it and execute the double attack at the
and see that Qxe5+ aims the queen at the same time. Is there any other piece the knight
loose rook on a1. The only hitch is that the e5 protects that could be taken? No. Well, when
bishop (the e5 square, really) is protected by a in doubt, play with other checks you can give
pawn. Black has nothing he can use to capture and their consequences. Consider Rg5+. No-
the pawn, so ask another question: if the tice that White’s queen greatly constrains the
bishop is taken by another piece and White ability of the Black king to flee such an at-
recaptures with the pawn, will e5 become tack; indeed, the king cannot be moved at all.
available? Black’s only option is Ng6, interposing his
knight between the rook and king. With the
knight thus budged from f8, the way is clear
for White to play Qe6+ and win the bishop.
The procedures for handling this sort of prob- The studies so far in this chapter all have in-
lem are well-known to us now. We start by volved spotting a double attack waiting to be
asking whether the knight can be eliminated executed—and perhaps then perfecting it by
with an exchange, and it can; 1. BxN, BxB loosening the forking square to make it avail-
leaves e4 unprotected, after which 2. Qe4 able for the queen. Now we move to another
wins the rook after Black spends a move pattern: the target piece—that is, the piece
fending off the mate threat. you intend to capture—does not start out
loose; you have to loosen it with an exchange.
We will study this way of creating and using Or it has to be moved onto a square where it
mate threats in more detail soon. is loose and can be forked. The thought proc-
ess typically starts with the observation that
your queen can check the enemy king; then,
seeing no loose pieces it can attack at the
same time, you get to work to create one.
Dg121: What checks can White give with his Dg123: White to move
queen? Diagonal moves won't work because
the queen is on a dark square and the king is Dg123: What checks can White give with his
on a light one. But White does have a queen? Four: Qa4, Qb5, Qe6, and Qxf7. Two
check—his only one on the board—in Qxf5. of those—Qa4 and Qb5—also attack the
So now you ask whether the move also would black bishop. The bishop is protected, so
attack anything else and notice that the queen naturally you look for an exchange that would
would be pointed at the bishop on d7. The leave a loose piece on a6. White can go after
bishop isn't loose, but it's attacked once and the bishop with his rook; after 1. RxB, RxR,
protected once. Thus consider a preliminary White has a good loose target to pair with his
exchange that might leave behind a loose check of the king. He plays Qb5+ and takes
piece: if White plays 1. RxB, RxR, the result the rook, again netting a piece.
is a loose Black rook on d7. Now Qxf5+ forks
the rook and nets a piece and a pawn.
Dg129: In this first example, White’s rook is Dg130: Black’s rook is loose, but there is no
loose; that is a starting point for analysis be- way for White’s queen to attack it and give
cause it gives you a target to focus on. Ideally check at the same time. So look at the checks
Black would like a move that attacks the rook White can give and consider their conse-
and gives check at the same time. Presently it quences. There are five such possibilities:
can't be done, so look for any checks that Qa8, Qe8, Qh7, Qh4, and Qh1. A couple of
might force the White king into a position them—Qa8 and Qh7—can be dismissed
where it could be attacked along with the without any real thought. But then there are
rook. It turns out that Black has just one such the others: (a) Qe8+ forces the king to h7; this
check to examine: Rd1. White is required to almost works because it then allows Qe7+,
answer with Kh2. Now reassess the resulting attacking king and rook. But of course Black
board, again asking whether Black can attack replies RxQ. (b) Qh4+ forces Kg8 but leaves
the king and the loose rook at the same time. White with no good follow-up; from h4 there
This time you find Qb8+, winning the rook. is no way to attack king and rook simultane-
ously. (c) Qh1+ also forces Kg8. But this time
The other route to the solution is to look first White does then have a move that attacks
at Rd1. When your rook has a clear path to king and rook at the same time: Qg1+, win-
the enemy king's rank, it's natural to consider ning the rook.
moving it there and to ask what the reply
would be. Here you see that White's king es-
capes to h2. The crucial thing is to keep press-
ing then, asking what your next checks might
be and whether any of them can be turned into
forks.
if White’s queen can move to c4 and give Dg140: Black has a loose bishop at c6.
check, it will win a piece. Bxf7 is ineffective White’s queen has one safe, plausible way to
here because of the rook on f8, so you keep attack it: Qc2. If the Black king could be
looking for more artillery you can bring to drawn onto g6, a fork of king and bishop
bear and find that the exchange Rxf7, RxR would be possible. White’s bishop can help
makes possible the bishop check and sacrifice by taking the pawn at g6, giving check and
that in turn leads to the queen fork. taking a piece that only Black’s king protects.
If Black replies KxB, the board is now ar-
ranged for a queen fork with Qc2+, gaining
White a pawn.
Dg141: In the position, start by looking for Dg142: Again, start by looking for the ingre-
the raw elements of a fork. Why, look: with dients of a double attack. Black has a loose
Qa8, White can fork Black's king and his a7 rook at a8: a good target if you can take ad-
pawn. How splendid! Yet perhaps we can do vantage of it. So ask whether you can check
better. First, does Black have any loose his king and attack the rook at the same time.
pieces? Yes, the rook at d7. Ideally you want Well, you can't; but are there any squares
to check his king and attack the rook at the from which it could be done, whether or not
same time. Are there squares from which the they now are within reach? Yes: in principle
queen could do that? Sure: e6 or e8 (in princi- c6 would work, though at present it's pro-
ple d5 and f7 would work, too, but the rook tected and the queen's path to it is blocked.
protects those so they aren't worth worrying Look to see what stands in the way; ask what
about—and then there's c8, which is inacces- methods you have for clearing the queen’s
sible). So if the Black bishop on e5 were out path through—and especially what ex-
of the way, White would have a good double changes. The natural answer is 1. RxN, d7xR,
attack. Can the bishop be captured by some- 2. Qxc6+, recapturing the rook and winning a
thing other than the queen? No, and anyway piece and a pawn. Notice how the single blow
after any capture Black would recapture with (RxN) takes care of both of White's problems
a pawn on e5 and the White queen’s path still at once, getting his own rook out of the way
would be blocked. You want the e-file and forcing Black to replace the protected
cleared, so instead try threatening the bishop occupant of c6 with a loose pawn.
with a pawn that it will have to flee. White
thus plays f3-f4. If Black moves the bishop
out of the way to d6, Qe8+ wins the rook. (In
the alternative, of course, Black might choose
just to forfeit the bishop; his best reply to f3-
f4 is Qh5, allowing him to reply to f4xB with
f6xe5.)
Dg146: First, does White have any loose Dg147: White is behind in material and needs
pieces? Yes, the bishop at d3 (and also the to make something happen. Step 1: Experi-
rook at a1, but it’s inaccessible for now). You ment with checks, including a brazen gesture
would like to check White’s king and attack such as Rd7, which invites Black to play
the bishop at the same time, so look for a BxR. Step 2: Consider the board as it would
square from which the queen might do it. You look afterwards; ask what lines would have
see that e3 fits the bill, and that the queen been opened or closed as a result and what
could reach it directly if Black’s own pawn at new checks you might then have. Here
e5 weren’t in the way. So ask whether the e5 Black’s bishop would have evacuated the
pawn can vacate its square in a hostile manner sixth rank, permitting White to play the
that requires a time-consuming reply. Yes: 1. check, and fork, Qf6+ (taking protection from
…e5xd4; 2. exd4 (or cxd4), Qe3+ wins the the pawn on e5). The fork doesn’t quite work
bishop. You likewise might have seen this by because Black’s rooks are connected and
imagining the consequences of pawn trades guard one another. So persist and ask what
available to you in the center. You see that the move Black would make in reply to Qf6+. His
first round of captures just described leaves king would be forced to e8. Then Qxh8+
the queen with a clear path to a new check— works for White after all; it's made safe be-
and fork—at e3. cause the connection between Black’s rooks
has been broken by his king. More impor-
The likely payoff from seeing all this, of tantly, it’s a skewer that wins Black’s other
course, is the gain of just a pawn; for if your rook: Black has to move his king back to the
opponent sees the fork coming — and you seventh rank, and now White has QxRa8—
should assume he will—he will not recapture and a won game. Notice how goading Black’s
after exd4. bishop onto d7 removed d7 as a flight square
for Black’s king—and thus forced Black to
By the way, it also might have occurred to respond to 2. Qf6 with Ke8.
you to start with e5xf4 (instead of taking d4);
this likewise moves Black's pawn out of the So you have a winning idea if Black responds
way. What's wrong with it? The trouble is that to 1. Rd7 with BxR. But what if he doesn’t?
this time White can reply Nxf4, and then his Consider whether he has anything better. His
knight suddenly protects the bishop on d3 that only alternative would be to move his king to
you had counted on as a target: it's no longer f8 or e8. Think about what your next check
loose! would look like either way. If he plays Kf8,
you have QxRa8—mate. If he instead tries
Ke8, 2. QxRa8+ no longer works because
Black has KxR. That’s okay, though; instead
you play 2. QxBe6+, forcing Kf8; then 3.
Qf7#. So Black is required to play 1. …BxR
in the first place to avoid mate. (These trains
of thought are worth reinforcing until they are The most important general skill here is the
clear.) ability to see “jump checks”: moves that
would give check if some piece (perhaps an
Stepping back and looking at the original po- enemy piece, or perhaps one of your own)
sition, observe the open diagonals leading to weren’t in the way. These are important to see
Black’s rooks. See how they invite the idea of generally, and they are especially important if
a queen fork, especially with the king on a you have found a loose enemy piece. For then
center file and especially with a friendly pawn you turn all your efforts to looking for a way
in the center poised to protect your queen. to attack the loose piece and give check at the
The basic forking possibility (Qf6) is a little same time, and you don’t want to overlook a
elusive at first because the rook on h8 doesn't check just because there is a piece that would
become loose, and thus doesn't become a need to be gotten out of the way before it can
good target, until later. You might think like work. The best way to find checks like this is
this: if I could get my queen onto f6, it would to try just aiming pieces at the enemy king. If
fork Black's king and rook, and the rook pieces of your own are in the way, look for
would become loose if the king were forced time-consuming threats you can make by
by the check to step back onto the eighth moving them. If your opponent’s pieces are in
rank. So if only I could get my queen over to the way, try to force them off their squares
f6...) with threats or by taking pieces they protect.
Dg158: White to move You might just as well have seen this by play-
ing with any captures you can make and ask-
Dg158: In the position pictured here, ask ing what would be possible on the board as it
whether Black has any loose pieces; you thus would look afterwards. This leads you to
are led to the knight at e4. White can’t attack Nxd5; after imagining the recapture e4xN,
it and give check at the same time; indeed, you look for any new checks you would be
White has no checks at all. But if White’s able to give and see the fork Qh4+.
queen moved to a4 it would be close to exe-
cuting the classic pattern seen at the begin-
ning of the chapter, attacking the king and a
after that exchange, and re-ask the important
questions: what checks now would be avail-
able, and what loose pieces? There are two
checks: Qd3 and Qc2. The interesting one is
Qd3, because it also attacks the Black bishop
on d5. The bishop is protected once, by
Black’s queen. But notice that now it would
be attacked twice, by the White queen and
rook. So Qd3+ wins the bishop after Black’s
king retreats.
Dg161: White has no queen checks and Black The tricky part of this example is seeing the
has no loose pieces (except his queen, which potential for a double attack at all, since none
generally is not a suitable target for a queen of the ingredients are visible at the start. But
fork). Again, though, it is our practice to ex- even from the beginning you might notice a
amine every check of any sort, and here basic pattern that is familiar by now: by mov-
White has one: BxN, which leads to KxB. All ing to b5 the queen would be aimed at the
right; now examine the board as it would look
enemy king and would have Black’s bishop here, but the geometry of Black’s position
just underneath it. Double attacks by the should be provocative: QxR aims the queen at
queen often look like that. It doesn’t quite Black’s king and also attacks the bishop at a5,
work yet because the pawn at c6 blocks the which would then (i.e., with the rook cap-
check and protects the needed square, and tured) be left loose. So see if you can move
because the bishop is protected once and not your knight away from e6 with a threat. The
yet attacked at all. Still, if you can see the first type of threat to consider is a check.
rough outlines of the familiar pattern, you can Ng5+ is no good, as it gives Black a way to
then play with various forcing moves on the both extinguish the check, save the rook, and
board, like Nxd5, with a view to making the guard the targeted piece (the bishop on a5) in
queen fork effective. one stroke: RxN.
You also might see the tactical idea here by So now consider your other knight check: 1.
first observing that Nxd5 is a knight fork of Nd8+, in reply to which Black has to either
Black’s queen and bishop. Since the Black take the knight with his queen or else move
bishop would also then be attacked once by his king. If he plays 1. …QxN, White has 2.
White’s bishop, the knight fork is a real threat QxR, forking Black’s king and bishop and
to Black and must be met with c6xN. This winning a rook with the sequence. If Black
then becomes a problem similar to the knight instead moves his king to f8 or g8 in reply to
forks we already studied where you imagine the knight check, the results for him are even
playing the attack knowing that it will fail worse. If the king goes to g8, it still gets
when your knight gets taken; you ask what checked by QxR and mate follows soon for
would then be possible, and particularly what White; if Black moves his king instead to f8,
checks you would have available. Here that then after QxR White can hold off on QxB
inspection would turn up a check by the and instead move his own rook over to the h-
queen which also attacks the bishop for the file and prepare to drop it to h8, creating
second time. havoc there (likely in the form of a skewer).
Dg166: Inspect the position for loose pieces Dg167: Here is the same principle in slightly
and you find the Black knight on c6. White different form. What Black pieces are loose?
has no safe way to check the king and attack The knight at a7 and bishop on d7. White
the knight at the same time (Qe8 would do it, can’t give check and attack either piece at the
of course, but Black’s queen guards the same time, so he asks whether he might attack
square). So next White looks for a way to one of them while creating a mate threat. He
attack the knight while threatening mate. looks for pieces he has trained on squares
Look for another White piece trained on a next to the king and sees that the bishop at a1
square near the king. Here we have a classic is aimed at h8. If White’s queen were to land
example that we will see several times in this on h8 the game would be over. So White just
needs a square from which his queen can (a)
attack one of Black's loose pieces, and (b) the same diagonal as the bishop—for exam-
attack the h8 square. Qd4, winning the knight, ple, by playing Qd4. But that doesn’t attack
is the answer. the rook, and anyway d4 is protected by
White’s queen.
Dg190: White to move Dg191: Which Black pieces are loose? Both
rooks and the knight. Can White’s queen at-
Dg190: Here is nearly the same pattern turned tack two of them at the same time? Yes, eas-
sideways. Black has two loose pieces: his ily via Qd4, winning the knight. Here the
rooks. Lines to them cross at several junctures queen is just behaving like a bishop; we will
(e.g., g1 and h6), but the only useful intersec- see lots of positions like this when we exam-
tions are those that allow the rooks both to be ine bishop forks.
attacked on diagonals, making it impossible
for them to defend themselves by going after By the way, Black has the option of replying
the attacker. So the winning move is Qe3, to Qd4 with RxNb1, thus limiting his imme-
picking up a rook a move later. diate material loss to the exchange. White
replies RxR; Black moves his queen to d8 to
This much is easy, at least if you are alert to guard the knight; and now White has e4-e5, a
loose pieces; but now notice a couple of finer little fork that wins a pawn. Meanwhile
points. The fork only works because of the White's b1 rook is now in a much stronger
pawns at b2 and h3. Do you see why? The position than before.
pawn at b2 is critical because otherwise Black
could move one of the rooks to protect the Dg192: Again both enemy rooks—this time
other. It always is important to ask whether the White ones—are loose. Black’s queen
your opponent would be able to break a fork can't attack them at the same time, but it can
by moving one of the pieces out of it to pro- go after one of them with Qd3; so if he could
tect the other, to check your king, or to other- create another target reachable from that posi-
wise create trouble. It's an especially impor- tion he would have a working fork. The rook
tant issue when you are forking two pieces
that both have mobility, as these rooks do.
on e1 cries out to be drawn forward with an
exchange—such as Bxe2.
Dg216: What checks can White give with his Dg218: Look for bishop checks and you find
bishops? Two: Be8 (resulting in KxB—not one: Bxc6. Ask what else the move attacks
very appealing), and Bc4, which at least is and you find the loose knight on e4. So Black
safe. Does the bishop attack anything else moves his king and White wins the knight.
from c4? Yes, the rook at a2—which White That is the target-based way of seeing the
solution; the pattern-based way would be to bishop, the fork only works if the bishop has
notice the triangular relationship between protection on d4. It does, from the Black rook
Black’s king, knight, and c-pawn, all on on d8. So Bd4 trades the bishop for White’s
White squares. Stare at the diagram; contem- queen. Now try seeing the pattern by scanning
plate its appearance. the geometry of White's pieces; it is important
in a position like this to notice right away that
White's king and queen are on the same di-
agonal. Again, it will help to take away two
types of lessons from these positions: concep-
tual points (trains of thought that lead to the
forks) and visual patterns that you will be able
to recognize in your games.
Dg232: This one is a step up in difficulty. Dg233: What can White attack with his
What can White’s bishop do? Its checks don't bishop? Be4 attacks a knight, which might
seem to lead anywhere, but there are other make a good start for a double attack if the
attacking possibilities to consider as well: knight were loose; but it is protected by the
Bg5, attacking the Black bishop (barely worth rook at d8. Nor would the bishop then be at-
noticing because it's a useless target); Bd2, tacking anything else. Still, the sight of the
attacking the Black rook; and Bxb6, attacking bishop attacking an enemy piece while also
rook and bishop. This last move has the ap- aimed at h7 should stimulate your imagina-
pealing look of a double attack, but again the tion. If a loose piece could be substituted for
bishop is an unsuitable target. This may be as the knight, and if the king could be pushed
far as you can go with initial reconnaissance; onto h7 as it was in some earlier problems,
what you know is that (a) White has no dou- White would have a fork. So experiment a
ble attack as yet; (b) if he is to make one, the little with those possibilities.
most plausible place for it probably would be
b6; and (c) a fork there might be doable if the
When a target is protected, one way to loosen winning the rook without any need to force
it is to take it with another piece and allow for White’s king into a more vulnerable position.
a recapture; here, 1. NxN, RxN and White has
half of a bishop fork in place. Next White The lesson is to take notice if a bishop can
turns to any checks that would force the king attack both an enemy piece and a square next
onto h7 and finds Ra8 (remember that the to the king. It may be that a preliminary ex-
Black rook no longer would be on d8). After change will allow you to move the king and
2. Ra8+, Kh7, White plays 3. Be4+ and wins so then check with the bishop move, or that
the rook. aiming the bishop at that square will itself
produce a mating threat that works just as
This is a position we already saw early in the well as a check as an anchor for the fork.
chapter, where it was advanced to its last step;
the point of repeating it here is to enable you
to see what the same fork looks like a couple
of moves away. Notice, too, that the sequence 2.3.6. Bishop Forks of the King and Queen.
succeeds here only in the move order de-
scribed; trying to move the king first, and then When your bishop makes the queen the target
performing the exchange of knight for rook, of a double attack, you can't generally count
would not have worked. So remember to look on a fork or other nifty maneuver to save the
for your checks before and after you imagine day when your opponent replies QxB. So
captures you can make. typically a fork against the queen only works
if the bishop has protection. Here are a few
Dg234: What can Black’s bishop threaten? examples of how this looks.
The two White pieces on light squares: the
rook and knight, but not at the same time (the Dg235: In the position on the diagram, White
possible attacking moves are Be6, Be4, and looks at his checks and sees that Qd8 forces
Bxc2). Black's king to h7. He looks for his next
check and finds Bf5, which forks Black's king
and queen—but fails because Black simply
plays QxB; by then, White's queen no longer
is on the fifth rank to supply protection.
Dg237: This time Black has no bishop checks Dg238: What checks does White’s bishop
(except the useless Bxf2+), so just ask what have? Bxe6. Does the move attack anything
else his bishops can attack. You see then that else? Yes, the bishop at d7, which is an un-
BxN threatens White’s queen. The threat
suitable target. Or see it visually: we have a by taking whatever the pawn protects and
classic triangle between Black’s king, queen, pursuing the consequences. Again, trains of
and e6 pawn; the bishop can be understood as thought like this will be the focus of our later
an inadequate target or as an obstruction. Ei- study of pins.)
ther way, the natural next step for White is to
capture the bishop with another piece — as
with RxB. Then if Black recaptures with QxR
the board is prepared for Bxe6, now with 2.3.7. Bishop Forks of Other Pieces.
Black’s queen as the target. Like the bishop
that it replaced, the queen is a problematic
target because it can fight back against the
forking piece; but unlike the bishop, the
queen’s value is enormous. So the fork works
as long as White’s bishop has protection when
it delivers the fork. It does; it will be guarded
by the White queen. Play therefore goes 1.
RxB, QxR; 2. Bxe6+, QxB; 3. QxQ+, and
now White has won a queen, a bishop, and a
pawn in return for a rook and a bishop.
From that square you see the rook also can Dg259: The arrangement of Black’s king and
attack the knight at e5. The knight is protected knight seems almost perfect for a rook fork: a
by the Black queen—but it also is already king and a loose piece on the same rank with
attacked by the White queen. So the knight is nothing between them always should set off
a classic case of a piece that is threatened an alarm, and here White has a rook at the
once and protected once and therefore is as ready on e1. The problem is that the Black
good as loose. If Black moves the bishop after king guards the forking square, e7, and White
White plays Rf5, White then plays RxN and has no way to add protection to that square
Black dares not recapture lest he lose his that is safe and holds the initiative. Time to
queen to QxQ. White wins a piece. give up? No; time to imagine playing the fork
anyway and asking what would be possible if
Dg258: Scan for checks with Black’s rooks it fails. Thus 1. Re7+, KxR; and now Black’s
and you find two: Rh1 (losing the rook to king has moved, requiring a fresh look at the
KxR), and Rg3. Ask whether Rg3 attacks resulting position. The king’s move would
anything else, and find the White knight at g5, have left the bishop on g6 loose; plus the king
which is loose (so you would have been look- would be on e7, a dark square; and the rook at
ing for a way to take it anyway). Does Rg3+ h8 would be on a dark square as well. White
lose the rook to f2xR? has a knight in the vicinity, and on a dark
square. You get the picture: 2. NxB+ is a
knight fork that takes the bishop right away
and wins back the rook next move. White
gains a piece with the sequence.
Dg266: What Black pieces are loose? The Here White has Rxg6+, which goes nowhere;
knight and rook. Focus on the knight, since it but then he also has Qd2+ (don’t overlook
makes a good target for an attack by your own backward moves!). Black is forced to move
rook. White’s rook can attack the knight in his king onto the same rank as his queen.
one move (either Rc3 or Rd6). If only the Rd7+ forks them, and a move later Black
Black king could be pushed onto the same wins a queen for a rook. Notice that attacks
rank or file as the knight; but how? White’s by the rook against a queen, like similar at-
bishop is no help because the king is on the tacks by a bishop, only work if the attacking
wrong color square. But White has pawns piece has protection; here White’s queen still
near Black’s king, and pawns are perfect for guards the eventual forking square (d7) when
pushing pieces around by threatening them. it delivers check from d2.
Put more simply, what checks does White
have? Answer: push a pawn to f4 or h4. Ei-
ther way the only legal move for Black’s king
is onto the sixth rank. When the enemy king
is forced to move, you reevaluate what would
be possible—what new checks. Answer:
Rd6+, winning the knight.
That’s all you need to see about the position In the following positions there is a rook fork
for present purposes, but for the sake of com- waiting to happen: two enemy pieces on the
pleteness we can consider a couple of other same rank or file, one of them loose, or one of
variations. What, for example, is Black’s best them the king, or both. But there are pieces
reply to White’s initial 1. NxB? It’s 1. …Ne6, between them, or between the rook and the
which blocks the check and pretty well puts forking square, that have to be gotten out of
out the tactical fire. Suppose, however, that in the way for the double attack to work. Again
reply to 1. NxB Black plays 1. …Kh8. Now it is important to recognize the basic visual
White can’t play Qe4 with check to clear the patterns involved—enemy pieces on the same
way for the rook fork. But White still has a rank or file, suggestive of a fork—without
wonderful move: Qc4, aligning the queen being thrown off by obstructing pieces that
with the bishop on b3 and threatening to mate you might be able to remove.
next move on g8. Black has no good reply.
Kh7 doesn’t help at all. Qe6 blocks White’s Look for visual patterns on the diagram.
queen but now allows White to play RxN+
instead. If Black recaptures RxR, his queen is Dg269: We see a familiar layout of Black pie-
left loose and White takes it. If Black doesn’t ces, with the king and a loose knight — prime
take the rook he soon will be mated. So targets for a fork—on the seventh rank.
Black’s best move after 1. NxB+, Kh8; 2. Qc4
is Nd7, clearing a path for the e8 rook to use
to protect the mating square g8. But the
knight’s move leaves g6 loose, and White
uses it to play Ng6+, a fork that takes Black’s
queen next turn.
2.5.1. Introduction.
Dg285: White to move So far we've dealt with cases where your op-
ponent began with two men ready to be for-
Dg285: By now the idea here should be easy ked by a pawn. One of them may have been
to spot: Black’s rook and c7 knight are a an unsuitable target—e.g.,an enemy pawn that
square apart on the same rank, and White’s
needed to be upgraded with an exchange — A loose end remains. When we went over
but the basic geometric motif already was White's checks, we left one out: Re1. It looks
present. These next positions differ because good; indeed, it forces the same initial result
the geometry for a pawn fork needs to be cre- as Qe7: Black has to play KxN, and now
ated; enemy pieces have to be forced onto White has that same pawn fork. But there is a
squares where they can then be forked. How grave difference in what follows from there.
do you force a piece onto the empty square After White plays g2-g4, Black naturally
where you want it to go? Sometimes a threat moves his king away with Kxf4, and then
will do the trick. Normally your opponent will White has g4xQ (the execution of the fork)—
move a threatened piece someplace safe, but but now notice the state of the g-file. White's
if it has a limited range of motion because pawn no longer is there; the only things left
some of its escape squares are blocked or at- behind are White's king and queen: a perfect
tacked, a threat may force it where you want chance for a pin by Black, which he exploits
it to go. Consider this section a general set of with Rg8. White can't move his queen, and
lessons in paying careful attention to where will lose it next move. White's better starting
threatened pieces will move. move, Qe7, avoids this calamity by getting
the queen off the g-file right away.
The important thing to notice is how a pawn Think of this as a case where a pawn again
can march not only forward but also diago- marched diagonally with a capture, enabling it
nally by making a capture, expanding its po- to deliver (or threaten) a fork that would not
tential to inflict forks. And then there is a lar- have been possible on its original file. But in
ger point to observe: the pressure on White’s order to move over a file, the e4 pawn needed
king that indirectly drives the tactical se- White to put something on d3 that it could
quence here. The king is stuck in the corner; take; the something—White’s queen—was
the Black queen’s threat to mate on White’s drawn into place with a check (Qd3+).
back rank (QxR) effectively freezes White’s
queen in place, as it must defend against this
possibility. These pressures on White’s king
do not enable Black to mate, but they do con-
strain his other pieces severely enough to
make a capture of material possible. It is im-
portant to appreciate how such accumulations
of pressure against one point—especially
though not only against the king—can end up
paying off with gains elsewhere as your op-
ponent has to make sacrifices for safety’s
sake.
Dg301: Black to move
Dg302
Now think about one other way things could Dg323: White’s bishop masks an attack up
go. Black could respond to the initial move 1. the d-file; this time the potential attacking
Bc4 by moving his queen to a8 to protect his piece is White’s queen. White’s bishop has an
rook; his plan this way would be to lose just obvious place to go that will cost Black some
the exchange rather than a whole piece. But time: Bxh7+. The problems are that Black’s
play it through in your mind’s eye: White queen—the natural target of the operations—
is guarded by a knight, and that the Black it important to understand what would happen
pawn on d4 blocks the d-file. Start with the if all those potential captures and recaptures
second problem; examine how the pawn is were played out.
threatened and defended. It is attacked by
White’s c-pawn and two knights, and de- Dg324: White has the makings of a discov-
fended by a knight, a bishop, and a queen. ered attack on the g-file, of course, where his
Play through the liquidation of those pieces in rook and bishop are in the standard formation.
your mind’s eye and see what is left at the White looks for a violent, time-consuming
end: 1. c3xd4, Nxd4; 2. NxN, BxN; 3. NxB, move he can make with the g2 bishop and
QxN. With the board thus simplified, what finds—nothing. BxB is met by QxB with no
would be possible? The c and d pawns would gain; Bf3 just loses the bishop.
be gone; both of White’s knights would be
gone; Black’s knight and bishop would be
gone; and Black’s queen would be loose on
d4, in front of White’s bishop—a classic
setup for a discovered attack via Bxh7. After
Black plays KxB, White plays QxQ, winning
Black’s newly loosened queen.
Dg327: Now consider how these ideas can Thus far we have been considering positions
look when you’re playing defense. The two based on a single root idea: a bishop masking
sides are fighting for control of the center; an attack by a queen or rook on the same file.
Black would like to get rid of one of White’s The masked piece travels vertically up the
central pawns. He attacks the pawn on d4 board after the bishop vacates its square. But
twice (with his queen and knight), and it is of course bishops also can unmask attacks by
defended just once (by White’s knight). So pieces on the same rank—attacks that are
should he take it with Nxd4? horizontal, with the unmasked piece running
sideways across the board. These are some-
what less common than vertical bishop dis-
coveries; it is easier to arrange a vertical dis-
covery because it's easy for a queen or rook to
move from their starting positions on the back
rank onto open files where bishops sit—and
then to travel up the files once the bishops
move out of the way. A horizontal discovery
usually requires that a rook or queen get out
toward the middle ranks of the board first so
that it can then travel sideways productively.
At any rate, the logic and mechanics here are
no different than in the positions we already Dg329: White to move
have studied. The main new challenge lies
just in spotting a new kernel: the rook or Bh6+ doesn’t work because the queen can
queen alongside the bishop on the same rank, both dissolve the check and take itself out of
rather than behind it. danger with QxB. Be5+ is better because it
threatens Black’s king from a square the
queen can’t reach, so the queen is lost one
way or the other. If Black plays f7-f6, White
replies RxQ; if Black plays Qf6, White has
BxQ.
That is not a complete catalogue of problems This section starts with simple one-move dis-
that arise in creating discoveries and options covered checks, then shows how the methods
for dealing with them, but it is a summary of examined earlier in the chapter apply in this
the most common types. You want the setting. In addition to discovered checks, we
thought processes involved in those sorts of also will be looking at a few other patterns
sequences to become second nature so that where the unmasked, stationary piece pro-
you see them right away and can spend your vides the distracting threat (even if not with a
tactical time thinking about more complicated check) and the unmasking piece does the
things: how these ideas might be combined, damage. In all cases you still are looking for
or combined with other tactics; and how they the same kernel: a bishop masking a rook or
might come into view after a series of pre- queen. What’s new here is that you may need
liminary threats or exchanges. We will return to draw the king into position to be attacked
to all of these patterns, and explore and rein- by your stationary piece rather than your mo-
force them further, when we examine discov- bile piece; and when you create a target for
eries by other pieces in the following chap- the mobile piece, you think a little differently
ters. because you have greater liberty: you look for
ways to exploit the special opportunity to
make two unfettered moves with the same
attacker. The examples will make all this
3.1.9. Introducing the Discovered Check. more concrete.
We have seen that in a usual discovered at- Dg334: In the skeletal position we have the
tack the unmasking piece is sacrificed or oth- idea in simplest form. White has the kernel of
erwise creates a time-consuming threat — a discovered attack on the c-file. If the bishop
often a check — so that the unmasked piece moves, Black’s king is in check and will have
can capture something on the next move. A to move, allowing the bishop to make a sec-
discovered check reverses the pattern: the ond move. The bishop’s target, of course, is
move by the bishop or other unmasking piece Black’s queen. The bishop has two ways to
exposes the enemy king to a check from the attack it: Bg8 and Bd3. Either way the queen
is lost. If Black moves his king, White plays It’s a light-squared bishop, so look for a threat
BxQ; if (in reply to Bg8) Black plays Qc2, against something on a light square. The
White has RxQ. choice target turns out to be Black’s bishop
on b7, because it's loose; if White can reach it
in two moves he will take it for free. White
thus plays Ba6+. After Black fends off the
rook check, BxB wins the piece.
But with the kernel in place, think hard about Dg341: Here is a small study in how the
what it would take to make it succeed. Try threat of a discovery can influence other mat-
saying “if only…” If only Black’s king were ters on the board. White has the makings of a
on the c file, White would have a discovered discovered attack on the e-file. What could
check and could take Black’s loose bishop the rook on e1 attack if the bishop in front of
with two moves. So now think about ways to it were moved? Just the pawn on e6. But no-
move the king by attacking it with other tice that behind that pawn lies Black’s king.
pieces. The only useful piece for the purpose It’s another “if only” point: if only the pawn
is White’s rook on d2. Can it give check? on e6 were gone, White would have a discov-
Yes, with Rd7+. Examine the move. Criti- ered check with Ba6+, winning the queen
cally, it’s a fork of Black’s king and his loose after Black moves his king. This means that
bishop; if Black moves his king, he loses a the Black pawn on e6 in effect is pinned in
piece. His only way to stop the check and also place. White is free to play d4-d5 if he
protect the bishop is by moving his rook onto wishes; if Black captures with e6xd5, White
the seventh rank: Rc7. Now what checks replies with his discovered check. So if he is
would White have, and with what results? alert Black will instead reply with a move like
RxR+, leading to KxR; and then—aha!—the Bd6 (preparing to castle) and allow White to
king has been drawn onto the c-file. White play d5xe6 next move, planning to respond
unmasks a discovered check with Bf8+, win- with f7xe6—but now Black’s position for
ning the bishop on g8 after Black's king castling is not quite so strong. Indeed, notice
moves. that Black’s position overall is rather poor. He
is behind in development (too many pieces
You could have seen all this as well by notic- still on their original squares), and he has
ing that the bishop on g7 is loose and thus an weak light-colored squares on his queenside
important target. You look for forks that (“weak” in the sense that White can put
would attack it and find one in Rd7+; you pieces on them and Black can’t chase them
imagine the reply Rc7 from Black; this invites away with pawns)—made worse by the fact
an exchange of rooks on c7; put this together that Black’s light-colored bishop, which he
with the kernel of the discovery on the c-file might have used to protect those squares, is
and you are led back to the g7 bishop as a off the board, while White’s still is available.
target—but this time as the target of a discov-
ery rather than a fork. In any event, the general point of the study is
just to see how the possibility of a discovered
Please excuse the absence of the White king check in the background can influence other
from g1. He's having a break. features of the game. The threat of it can para-
lyze those pieces that prevent its execution
and so permit advances that would not other-
wise be feasible. Here it ultimately causes
Black to end up with an isolated pawn and
bad castling position.
(c) If White advances his g-pawn to g3, Black Assuming you follow all this (it's worth a
plays Qxg3+ and mates a move later. patient look), what does it prove? Just that if
Black replies to 1. Bc7 by playing QxB, he
(d) If White advances his g-pawn to g4, he gets hurt; so Bc7 does indeed give White a
effectively blocks the descent of Black’s working discovered attack. But what will
queen down the g-file, but Black plays Qc6 Black do about it? Obviously he doesn’t want
and again mates soon on g2; for the third rank to simply forfeit his queen; does he have any-
still is impassable to White’s queen. thing better? Ideally he would like a move
that makes a good counter-threat against
White while also defending against mate.
Black almost has such an option in 1. ...Ne5,
attacking White’s queen and guarding f7. Of
course it loses the piece to BxN, but it’s still
Black’s best reply.
The challenge now is straightforward: vacate On the long a8-h1 diagonal. As usual the rook
the rook from d4 in a way that compels a re- masks the queen, and if it were moved Black
sponse from Black. The rook has no checks, could play QxQ. The important question in-
so examine the Black king’s position for vul- volves what to do with the rook. Again it has
nerabilities. It is trapped on the back rank; no checks, so consider the White king and its
although it isn’t entirely sealed in by its vulnerabilities. Here as in the previous posi-
pawns, White’s bishop closes off the flight tion it is stuck on the back rank, as Black’s
square on g7. The same idea we saw in the bishop on h3 cuts off its escape. And once
previous position thus works here. An attack more the king has a single guard: the rook on
by White’s rook against Black’s rook on e8 e1. If Black threatens that rook with his own,
would be a mating threat, because if White he threatens mate. So he has two possibilities,
can play RxR the game ends. White makes either of which works: 1. …Rd1 or 1. …Re5.
the threat with Re4. Black has to eliminate
White’s rook to stay in the game. He has two There is a little more to say, because you al-
ways to do it. The first is BxR, to which ways must ask whether your opponent has a
White replies QxQ and mates soon. Black way to both move the targeted piece out of
also has the option of replying to Re4 with danger and spoil the mating threat. White's
RxR. How should White reply? queen can't move to the east because Black
then threatens to mate with Qg2. But in re-
This time the answer for White isn't quite sponse to either of those rook moves we have
QxQ, since Black then uses his rook to mate sketched, White can play 2. Qxh3, avoiding
on e1. White instead needs to work with QxQ and preparing to interpose the queen on
checks to prevent that possibility. By moving f1 if Black plays RxR. But then he still loses
his rook off the back rank, Black has made the queen—and also both rooks. It goes 2.
this easy: White plays Qc8+, which requires …RxR+, 3. Qf1, RxQ+, 4. KxR, QxRh1+.
Black to interpose his queen on d8. White Black has a queen left and White has nothing.
takes it (QxQ+); then we go through the same
process with Black's rook; then it's mate.
Dg378: Now a reminder that a discovered He looks at any captures he can make and
mate threat can be formidable, too. The considers their consequences—what lines
alignment of pieces on the d1-h5 diagonal they would open and so forth. There is just
cries out for consideration of a discovered one: BxB, resulting in RxB. The interesting
attack; if Black moves his rook from e2, his feature of this exchange is that it not only
queen will threaten not only to take White’s extinguishes the threat against White’s a1
rook on d1 but to mate there—almost; rook but also leaves that rook and White’s
White’s queen presently guards the square. king with nothing between them—and an
The question for Black is the best use he enemy target on b2. White therefore can dev-
might make of his rook as it unmasks the astate Black by castling: 0-0-0. Suddenly
threat, and the natural answer is to go after the Black’s king has been checked by White’s
White queen that protects the rook. He ex- rook, while Black’s rook is about to be taken
periments with Rb2. If White plays the cap- for free by White’s king. Castling into an at-
ture QxR, Black mates as just noted. Nor can tack is not something you have a chance to do
White move his queen to any other square very often, but when the opportunity arises it
where it will prevent mate. The best he can do is memorable.
is Qxd5, taking a pawn and guarding against
immediate mate by protecting the d1 square.
But then Black takes the queen with his c6
pawn (or with his own queen—it doesn’t mat- 3.2.4. Manufacturing Discovered Check.
ter) and White has nothing left but Rf1. Black
is ahead by a queen and has a won game. Now let's look at a few positions where some
element of the discovered check—open lines
The discovered attack here seemed at first to or appropriate targets—has to be manufac-
be foiled by White’s queen, which appeared tured. The ideas behind the methods used here
to guard the targeted piece. Consider in such a will be familiar; only the context is any dif-
case whether the discovered attack might be ferent from what has come before, but seeing
turned against the very piece that seems to how the old ideas look in new settings will
frustrate it. make them easier to see in real time.
Dg380: Find the makings of a discovered at- Dg381: First find the kernel of a discovery;
tack for Black in the position to the left. His you are trying to learn to see them every time,
rook blocks his bishop along the g1-a7 diago- even when they don't appear to lead anyplace.
nal. The bishop is aimed toward White's king White’s rook masks the path of his bishop
but is blocked by the pawn at f2. Black can't toward Black’s bishop—and, behind it, his
capture the pawn and cause an interesting king. If Black’s bishop could be replaced
recapture, so try another idea: capturing with his king, White would have the makings
something the pawn protects and thus forcing of a discovered check. Capturing the bishop
it to move on the recapture. Viz.: Black plays would be one way to achieve this, but again
QxB, inviting f2xQ. If White plays the recap- White has no way to do it; and yet again, too,
ture, Black's discovered check has been nicely there is the alternative of capturing something
prepared. All that remains is to find a good the bishop protects—the knight on h5. White
target the d4 rook can reach in two moves. can take it with QxN+. If Black recaptures
Rd8+ unmasks check; then after White saves BxQ, the bishop is out of the way and White
his king, Black has RxQ. can unmask a check by moving his rook. He
looks for damage the rook can inflict with two
Take a moment now to appreciate the threats moves and sees that Black’s queen is within
that Black faces in this position and how the reach. Rd6+ attacks it; RxQ takes it after
sequence just described would bear on them. Black saves his king. White wins a piece.
White has three pieces aimed near Black’s
king: his queen, rook, and bishop. Look at Well, but wait: how does Black save his king?
White’s checks and you see that he is poised He can move it (say, to g7); but he also can
to play Rxc7+. Black would have to play save it with a threat by playing his bishop
BxR. Now comes the follow-up check QxB+, from h5 back to g6, where it blocks the check
forcing Black’s king onto a8; and finally and also throws a counterattack at White’s
White mates with Qb8. Fortunately it’s not bishop. Now after White plays RxQ, Black
White’s turn to move! The beauty of QxB for can play BxB. This would mean White traded
Black is not only that it wins a piece by away a queen and a bishop to win a queen and
threatening a discovered check; it also defuses a knight—but we aren’t quite done yet. After
White’s threat against c7 by adding a guard to Black’s BxB, White recaptures with NxB and
the square (Black’s queen) and by taking out still wins a piece. So the modest-looking
one of the attackers against it (White’s knight on e1 is necessary to make the whole
bishop). sequence work. (If that knight were off the
board, the sequence just described still would
be worth a pawn, though; after Black plays
BxB, White would have Rb5, forking the
loose pawns on a5 and c5.)
The lesson of this last note is to take time to in the last position, the queen can be sacri-
consider how your opponent will reply to the ficed to force the needed result: Qh1+, requir-
checks you make. If it's clear that he will have ing KxQ.
to move his king, it may not matter too much
where it goes (though then again it might!).
But if he has interpositions, you need to an-
ticipate what they would make possible for
him on offense.
Dg386: Black to move Look for queen moves that continue to protect
the rook and also add pressure against Black.
Dg386: Here Black does not have the kernel One such move is 1. Qd5, since it not only
of a discovered attack; the point of the posi- attacks Black’s bishop while still protecting
tion is that when you see a configuration like the rook but also creates the three-piece ker-
this—bishop and rook coordinated, with both nel of a discovered check, enlarging the
trained on squares near the king—it pays to power of both queen and rook. Indeed, this
experiment with creating the pattern for a move wins the game:
discovery by bringing one piece into the path
of the other and examining the consequences. (a) If Black plays 1. …Qc1+, hoping to divert
Here an obvious way would be Rc2+: the White’s energies by taking the offensive,
rook moves into the bishop’s path and gives White executes the discovered check with 2.
check; White’s king has to move. If it goes Rf1+, blocking the check against his own
anywhere but d1, it leaves the knight loose king and preparing to take Black’s queen after
and Black takes it with his rook on the next Black moves his king out of check. (Actually,
move. (Always ask whether an opponent’s after 2. Rf1+ it goes 2. …Kg7, 3. QxB+, and
forced move would leave anything loose.) If then White plays RxQ. Black’s queen will
White moves the king to d1 to protect the remain en prise to White’s rook so long as
knight, he completes the pattern for a discov- White keeps checking Black’s king with his
ered check by putting it on the same diagonal queen and doing other damage with it in the
as Black’s bishop. Now Black would think meantime. The priority of check.)
about what he could do with his rook in two
moves. Don’t obsess over the knight. Think (b) If Black instead plays Qc6 as his initial
broadly about the opportunities created by a response, pinning White's queen, he of course
discovered check; look for any White piece loses his own queen to QxQ. Yes, this capture
Black could attack with his rook in two allows Black to play KxR, but then White
moves. Rc7+ would unmask check by Black’s plays Qd5+ and wins Black’s bishop with a
bishop, and attack—and then win —White’s queen fork. White’s queen is the only piece
rook on h7. left when the smoke clears.
Dg431: The simple form again, this time run- Dg433: Black is threatened with the loss of a
ning vertically. The kernel of the discovery rook on his back rank. Meanwhile he has an
should be evident on the e-file. White sees offensive opening of his own at the other end
that the king is at the other end of it and thus of the board: his knight masks the bishop on
realizes that his knight will have a free move. c5; since the bishop would attack White’s
Black’s queen always is a favored target; here king if unmasked, the key question is what
it’s on a light square, as is the knight, so it can damage the f2 knight might do while Black
fends off that check. Do you see how this of-
fensive opportunity relates to the threat of
RxRe8 that currently worries Black? The knight to safety with Nf6 (rather than guard-
strength of White’s threat depends on the co- ing it with d7-d5), producing the result shown
ordination of his rooks on the d-file; that is here; for this leaves the kernel of a discovery
what prevents Black from being the one to in front of Black’s king. White’s knight now
gain with RxR. Things would be different if can go on the attack with impunity. Black’s
the connection between White's rooks were queen is within reach via Nc6+; the queen is
disturbed—and as it happens, Black can cut lost to NxQ a move later, whether it stays
the rooks off from each other and discover where it is or moves to block the check on the
check at the same time with 1. …Nd3+, 2. e-file.
Kh1, RxR. Black wins a rook; the knight sev-
ers the line of protection to White's d8 rook—
and then the knight is protected against cap-
ture by the Black rook that moves onto d8. 3.3.7. Discovered Checks with Preliminary
Exchanges.
The more obvious 1. …Ne4+ doesn't work.
White again replies 2. Kh1, so now Black can
play NxR, thinking he has won the exchange
after White recaptures; but White doesn't re-
capture right away. He instead executes that
ongoing threat of RxR+. The priority of check
means that he holds the initiative while Black
replies Bf8 (forced); and now White still has
the recapture BxN waiting for him at the near
end of the board.
Dg442: Here's a harder one. Find the kernel of Again we consider how an idea seen in prior
the discovery: White’s knight masks his chapters can apply to the knight: sometimes
queen on the seventh rank. If the knight the piece that unmasks a discovered check
moves, the queen again has no piece it can can, instead of hunting for material, add more
target—just a pawn, and a protected one at to the pressure on the king or otherwise take
that. But once more you examine the Black part in the creation of a mating net.
king and find that the queen would have a
great square to attack: Qg7 nearly would be
mate; only the Black knight on e6 would pre-
vent it. Now the important thing when your
pieces close in on the king like this is not to
think about the two halves of the discovery in
isolation. Think instead about how the two
parties to it—here the knight and queen—can
help each other. If White plays the discovery
1. Ng5, he threatens NxQ. More significantly,
though, the knight also attacks another square
next to Black’s king, thus creating the new
mating threat Qh7#. Against this idea Black’s Dg443: Black to move
knight is no help. He is forced to play 1.
...Rxf6, as this erases the immediate mate Dg443: The position to the left shows how it's
threat on g7 (by removing the protection done in simplest form. See the kernel of the
White's queen would have there) and also discovery for Black on the e-file; see that the
gives the king a flight square (f8) if White piece to be unmasked, the queen, is aimed at
plays Qxh7.
White’s king. Should the knight go after ma- flight squares should suggest an attack by the
terial, for example by jumping to g4 and then knight, since it can hit them both at once—
taking the White bishop on f6 on the next i.e., with Na6#, finishing the game since
move? No, Black should play the knight to f3, White’s rook cuts off the whole d-file.
delivering checkmate. From f3 the knight
adds a second check, which means the king This is another sequence where Black’s threat
has to move; and the knight seals off d2, the not only is decisive offensively but also does
king’s only flight square. important defensive work by holding the ini-
tiative. If it were Black’s turn to play he, too,
Notice that from the outset Black is threat- would have a forced mate: 1. …Qh2+; 2. Kf1,
ened with BxQ. This is another reason why a Qh1+; 3. BxQ, RxB#. One way to defend
simple discovered check like Ng4 would fail; against a threat like that is to launch an offen-
White would just take Black’s queen. The sive sequence of your own, giving your oppo-
only discovered checks that will work here nent no chance to get in his attack.
are double checks, because they require your
opponent to move his king.
Dg446: The key feature of this position is the Dg447: Black has the kernel of a discovery
kernel of a discovery for White on the e-file leading toward White’s king on h3-g2. He
leading towards Black’s king. At the moment could use his knight to go hunting for Black’s
the bishop on e7 is in the way; it makes a poor queen, but the idea is complicated by the at-
target in itself, because it’s guarded and less tack underway against his own queen; and in
valuable than the rook that would be able to any event, when the king’s position is so
capture it. But the position would get more cramped it makes sense to focus on the possi-
interesting (because it would involve discov- bility of mate. If Black's knight moves,
ered check) if the bishop could be captured White’s only option is to move his king to e1
and replaced by the king—and likewise if the or g1. Imagine the knight out of the way—
bishop could be drawn away from the e-file. moved to h4—and consider how it could go
White considers whatever checks he can give after the king on either of those flight squares.
and finds that 1. Qf8+ has the desired effect,
forcing Black to play BxQ to protect his king. (a) If White plays Ke1, what checks does
Now the discovery is arranged, but to what Black then have? QxB, which doesn’t work;
end? It had better be good, since a queen sac- and NxN, which is mate because the bishop
rifice was needed to get there. Black’s king is on e2 is pinned.
in the type of cramped position you should
associate with mating possibilities, so think (b) If White instead plays Kg1, NxN no
about using both pieces in the discovery to go longer works because BxN results, the bishop
after it. 2. Ng7++ is the answer, inflicting a not being subject to a pin. But this time the
double check that requires the king to move to queen check does work: Qg4# ends the game.
d8. Look for the next check. Here it’s Re8—
mate. (Notice that 2. Nc7++ works as well as This is a good study in the value of carefully
2. Ng7++; again Black’s king is forced to d8, examining the checks you can give at every
and again White mates with Re8. It might turn. After Black's first move the White king
seem that if White plays Nxc7 Black could has two places to go. Either way, Black has
then escape a move later with KxN, but two checks; and either way, one of them is
White’s bishop protects the knight from h2.) ineffectual while the other is mate.
Dg454: No doubt you see the kernel of a dis- Dg455: When pieces are collected on a line,
covery: White’s knight masks his bishop on as they are on the b-file here, it is natural to
the h1-a8 diagonal. But not much can be done wonder how you might take advantage of the
with it; the more fruitful thing to notice is that arrangement. Or you might simply consider
White has a bishop bearing down on the king every check White can make and see Rb6+.
on the other long diagonal—and that White Either way the point to see is that Rb6+ cre-
can create the kernel of another discovery, ates the kernel of a discovery, with White’s
and also give check, by moving his knight to knight suddenly all that stands between his
f6. That move both masks the bishop with the rook and Black’s queen. Usually—and here—
knight and forces Black’s king over to h8, a move that so creates the kernel of a discov-
putting a target into place for a discovered ery is really interesting only if it also helps
check. Now the knight will have two unfet- create the other elements of a discovered at-
tered moves, so it heads toward Black’s queen tack by forcing targets into place. In this case
via his rook: NxR, followed next move (after Rb6 also forces the king to find a new square,
Black avoids the check from White’s bishop) and its choices are limited to a8 and c8.
by NxQ. Whichever move Black makes, the king ends
up on the same color square as White’s knight
The only fly in the ointment is that after and is checked on the next move with Nc7+
White plays Nf6+ at the outset, Black can end or Na7+. After the king avoids the check,
the threat with NxN. How to remedy this? White takes Black’s queen.
With a preliminary exchange: 1. QxN, BxQ,
and now play continues as described above Notice the style of thought: take note of
with Black’s defender of f6 eliminated. The moves that put one of your pieces onto a line
queen sacrifice is costly, of course, but it pays with another that can unmask it; consider
off soon enough. whether any of those moves also force a reply
from the other side, and especially whether
they force a target into place.
Now let's consider pawn discoveries that re- Meanwhile, of course, there is a better alter-
quire preliminary exchanges. Our focus will native to all this. Instead of playing c3-c4
be on a single motif: creating a discovered first, White starts with the preliminary ex-
attack in which the pawn unmasks a diagonal change 1. QxN, KxQ. Now c3-c4+ is a dis-
attack by a bishop or queen in the direction of covered check, giving Black no chance to
the enemy king. Afterwards we will look at a take the offensive and winning back the queen
few pawn discoveries that follow other pat- for White (with the gain of a piece) a move
terns. later.
sic fashion. The obvious hitch is that the path
isn’t clear; Black’s e6 pawn is in the way. So
go to work to eliminate the obstacle. We cus-
tomarily remove bothersome pawns by cap-
turing whatever they protect. Here the e6
pawn protects the knight on d5, so Black cap-
tures it with RxN, inviting e6xR. Now the
discovered check e5-e6 is easy, winning the
queen with e6xQ or (if the queen moves to f6)
NxQ.
Dg478: The kernel of a pawn discovery takes Dg479: White’s rook on f1 is blocked by his
practice to see because it can look so unas- pawn on f4—a common sort of occurrence.
suming. A pawn on the same rank or file as a What makes it interesting is that the pawn has
rook or queen, or on the same diagonal as a a way to clear the file and threaten Black’s
bishop or queen: these are the patterns to ab- queen: f4xg5. To make this an effective dou-
sorb, and they usually look innocuous to the ble attack, of course, White needs a target for
untrained eye. The position to the left is a his rook once the pawn moves off the file. We
good example. White’s queen is masked by look for ways to involve the enemy king, es-
his pawn on f5 and an enemy pawn on f7. pecially when it is so close to the relevant
True, White’s rook on d1 also is masked in a line. Can it be moved from e8 to f8 or f7? The
somewhat similar way, but the queen is more obvious way to move a king is with a check,
interesting because it's aimed at Black’s king. but here White has none. Another way is to
A sequence that would clear the pawns from plant a piece on the square where you want
the f-file might create a discovered check or the king to move—making either a threat or a
mate threat. capture of your own in the process—and in-
vite it to capture. The one way White can do
So how do you clear pawns from a file? The this is with Nf7. This forks Black’s queen,
answer is the same for your pawn and for bishop, and rook (the latter piece is loose),
your opponent’s: they have to make captures. and so requires Black’s immediate attention.
One way to force that result is to take some- His only way to capture the knight is KxN,
thing a pawn protects; but another, useful after which White has the discovered check
here, is to simply place a piece en prise to the f4xg5, winning the queen with the pawn
enemy pawn in a way that creates a threat and whether it stays where it is or moves to f6 to
requires the pawn to capture. A check is the block the check.
best example, and White has one that works
in this case: Ng6+, forking Black’s king and Now suppose Black grasps this and so tries to
queen. Black has to play f7xN. Now two avoid KxN; does he have anything else in
things have happened: the enemy pawn has reply to the fork White launches with Nf7?
been cleared from f7, and White’s own pawn Black would like to move the queen out of
on f5 has been given a way to get off that file danger and protect the two loose pieces
and make a threat: f5xg6+, which unmasks threatened by the knight. This can be done
check by White’s queen and also threatens with Qf6. But then White still wins the ex-
g6xR. The rook will be lost to the pawn, change with NxR.
whether it stays put or moves to f7 to block
the check.
Dg480: Black to move Dg481: Black to move
Dg480: Here is something a little different. Dg481: A queen or rook on a rank where it is
You're playing the Black pieces. White masked by a pawn is a good setup for a dis-
threatens your h5 rook with his bishop. Think covery; if the pawn moves (whether forward
offense before defense; find the kernel of a or diagonally), the attack is unmasked. Here
discovery. Your rook is aimed at the enemy Black's queen is on a5, masked by his pawn
king and masked by the pawns on h4 and h2. on d5. The pawn can’t advance on the d-file,
You study the king’s position and see that its but it can make a capture on c4, thus clearing
only flight square (g1) is sealed off by your the queen’s path across the fifth rank and also
bishop. Play on the h-file might be indicated, launching an attack of its own on White’s d3
but how? There isn't yet any way for the pawn bishop. All that needs to be considered is the
on h4 to vacate the file, and then there still queen’s target. White has a bishop on g5. It’s
would be a White pawn on h2. Both problems not loose, so if the queen were unmasked it
would be cleared up, however, if the h2 pawn wouldn’t be able to make the capture. But the
could be goaded onto g3; then it would be out bishop’s only guard is the knight on f3, and a
of the way and the Black pawn on h4 would piece that is protected only by another piece
have something to capture. So plant a piece often can be weakened or left loose by a pre-
vulnerable to the pawn on h2, and do it with a liminary exchange—a capture of the guard, or
threat: Ng3+, a fork of bishop, rook, and king. a capture of the target that requires its guard
(If that line of reasoning was too cumber- to recapture and then be left loose. Here Black
some, try a simpler one: examine any checks thus starts by taking the bishop with NxB.
you can give and arrive at Ng3.) NxN follows for White—but now he has a
loose piece on g5. Black plays d5xc4, win-
So now consider White's replies. If he plays ning material no matter what White does.
QxN, fine; Black has h4xQ. But what if
White replies h2xN? Black plays the discov-
ered check h4xg3. It isn't quite mate because
White still has BxR. But now look for Black’s
next possible check. It’s Qh4—and this time
it is mate, since Black’s bishop still seals off
the king’s only flight square. It’s a lesson in
the importance of noting how all of your
pieces bear on a position and might be
brought into the fray. The queen’s path from
its starting square to the side of the board (and
thus down the h-file) is a potent resource.
Dg482: White to move