ChessAnalyzerTrapped pieces: chess tactics explained, with 4 puzzles
A piece with no safe square is as good as lost. Look for enemy pieces deep in your half or on the edge of the board, attack them, and check where they could escape to.
Every puzzle below comes from a real game position, and every solution was verified with Stockfish 18: each move you need to find is the only good move — the second-best alternative is at least two pawns worse. Try to solve each one before opening the solution.
Puzzle 1 Beginner
Black to move. Win a piece that cannot escape.
Hint
Find an enemy piece with no safe squares.
Solution
13… axb5
axb5 attacks a piece that has no safe square left. However it moves, it is captured. 13… axb5. Black wins the queen.
Puzzle 2 Beginner
White to move. Win a piece that cannot escape.
Hint
Find an enemy piece with no safe squares.
Solution
25. Kxc3
Kxc3 attacks a piece that has no safe square left. However it moves, it is captured. 25. Kxc3. White wins the queen.
Puzzle 3 Beginner
White to move. Win a piece that cannot escape.
Hint
Find an enemy piece with no safe squares.
Solution
20. Nxe6
Nxe6 attacks a piece that has no safe square left. However it moves, it is captured. 20. Nxe6. White wins the queen.
Puzzle 4 Beginner
White to move. Win a piece that cannot escape.
Hint
Find an enemy piece with no safe squares.
Solution
16. Nxd7
Nxd7 attacks a piece that has no safe square left. However it moves, it is captured. 16. Nxd7. White wins the queen.
Other tactics
Checkmate
A checkmate ends the game at once, so always look for checks first. Count the escape squares around the enemy king: if every one is covered …
Back-rank mate
A king that has castled behind three unmoved pawns has no air. A rook or queen landing on its first rank is mate unless something can block …
Forks
A fork is one piece attacking two or more targets at once. The opponent can only save one of them. Knights are the classic forking piece bec…
Pins
A pin attacks a piece that cannot move without exposing something more valuable behind it. When the piece behind is the king, the pin is abs…
Skewers
A skewer is a pin in reverse: the valuable piece stands in front. When it steps aside, the piece behind it is captured. Rooks, bishops and q…
Discovered attacks
Moving one piece can uncover an attack by the piece behind it. The moving piece is free to make its own threat at the same time, so the oppo…
Removing the defender
If a piece is only defended once, capture or chase away the defender and the piece falls. Ask of every enemy piece: what defends it, and can…