Chess tactics for beginners: the patterns that win games
Forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, back-rank mates and hanging pieces: the chess tactics beginners meet first, and how to find them in your games.
A chess tactic is a short sequence of moves that wins material or gives mate, usually by attacking two things at once or by using a piece that can’t move. Most of them come from a handful of patterns, and for a beginner, learning to spot those pays off sooner than learning openings.
What are the basic chess tactics?
| Tactic | In one line |
|---|---|
| Fork | One piece attacks two at once |
| Pin | A piece can’t move without exposing a more valuable one behind it |
| Skewer | A valuable piece is attacked, moves, and the one behind it falls |
| Discovered attack | A piece moves and uncovers an attack by the piece behind it |
| Double check | A discovered attack where both pieces give check |
| Removing the defender | Take or chase away the piece that guards something |
| Back-rank mate | A rook or queen mates a king trapped behind its own pawns |
| Hanging piece | A piece that can be taken for free |
What is a fork?
One piece attacking two of your opponent’s pieces at the same time, so only one can be saved. Knights are especially good at it. Read more in what is a fork in chess.
What is a pin?
A piece stuck in front of a more valuable one, usually the king or the queen, on a line your bishop, rook or queen controls. A pin to the king means the piece can’t legally leave the line. Read more in what is a pin in chess.
What is a skewer?
A pin the other way round. You attack the valuable piece first, it has to move, and you take the piece behind it. A rook check that wins the queen behind the king is the classic one.
What is a discovered attack?
One piece moves out of the way and uncovers an attack from the bishop, rook or queen behind it. The piece that moves can make a threat of its own, so your opponent faces two attacks with one move. When both give check, it is a double check, and the only answer is to move the king.
What is a back-rank mate?
A checkmate on the first or last rank against a king boxed in by its own pawns. It is one of the most common mates in club games, and one pawn move in front of the king usually prevents it. Read more in what is a back-rank mate.
Why does a hanging piece count as a tactic?
Because it is where most tactics end up. A fork or a pin leaves a piece that can’t be saved, and a hanging piece is the same thing with no tactic needed. At beginner level, spotting them, yours and your opponent’s, wins a lot of games on its own. Read more in what is a hanging piece.
How do you get better at tactics?
- Do puzzles every day
- A few a day works better than a long session once a week, because patterns stick through repetition.
- Look at checks, captures and threats first
- Before every move, for both sides. Most tactics start with one of these moves.
- Look for loose pieces
- Tactics usually aim at undefended pieces or a king with no escape squares, so notice where they are on both sides.
- Review your own games
- A puzzle tells you there is something to find, and a game doesn’t. Go back over your games for the tactics you played past.
How do you see which tactics you miss?
Chesslord’s insights go through your chess.com and Lichess games and count the forks, the pins against the king and the mates you found and missed, the pieces you left hanging, and the free pieces you took or didn’t, with the latest positions for each. Skewers and discovered attacks are not counted. If one of them is much worse than the others, that’s the tactic to practise. If you keep missing mates, start with how to stop missing checkmates.
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