A tactic is a short-term attack, such as a fork, pin, skewer, or other kind of attack that takes place over a few moves. Learn some practical tactics, and observe how the more difficult tactics in chess are built from the blocks of the simple patterns.
One of the most important things in chess is knowing when a piece can be captured and when it can't!
FM Mike Klein shows you how to attack two enemies at the same time, which sometimes can be impossible to defend against.
When a knight and pawn double attack two enemy pieces, this is called a “fork.”
When a piece cannot move because it is “in the way” or “blocking” a more valuable teammate from being captured that piece is pinned.
Skewers are the reverse of pins: the stronger piece is in front, and MUST move out of the way.
Tactics: Discovered Attacks & Double Checks
Learn how one piece can move out of the way, unveiling another piece just waiting to pounce.
FM Mike Klein explains how to calculate in your games, which is the most important skill to have in chess. Learn how to use the clues of the chessboard to solve tactical puzzles you might not have seen otherwise.
F-pawns are particularly vulnerable because they are only defended by the king.
When a piece is pinned, it can't move! Or at least, moving the piece might lose something. Learn more about bringing in attackers to take advantage of the pinned piece.
Learn more about tactics that remove and destroy key defenders.
Deflection and decoy mean using sacrifices to draw your opponent's pieces to or away from certain squares. It is like moving your opponent's pieces for him!
"Attraction" in chess describes the act of forcing the opponent's piece to a certain square with the goal of using a tactic against that piece.
An important tactic involves breaking the lines of communication of your opponent's pieces, often involving a sacrifice.
FM Mike Klein shows you how to play these brilliant sequences.
The "Greek Gift" is a common attacking pattern, where a bishop sacrifices on h7 or h2, to remove the opposing king's cover and draw the king out.
The "windmill" tactic is where one side's king is repeatedly discover checked, allowing the attacker to sweep pawns and pieces off the board!
When a piece is under attack and will soon be captured, it sometimes becomes a "desperado"! It gives itself away before being captured.
Sometimes your own piece is in the way -- the square, file, or diagonal it sits on is more important than the piece itself. Then you need to make a clearance sacrifice!
"Zwischenzug" means "in-between move" in German. More simply, it's a quick move you make first before making your intended move second.
The whole game of chess is about trapping one specific piece: the king! But this video deals with trapping the other pieces. Any piece can be trapped, and it happens often!
A queen sacrifice might be the most spectacular tactic in chess! The queen is given up on purpose, either to force a checkmate, win back the material, or even just to gain a long-term positional advantage.