TacticsPlay as white

The Queenside Attack

Find the weak square in front of a king that castled long, remove its defender, and land on it.

Introduction

A king that castled long hides behind the pawns on a7, b7 and c7, and its weak point is almost always b7 — one pawn, guarded by the king and perhaps one more piece. The attack has a fixed order: a pawn lever opens the files, a knight or bishop lands next to the king, and the queen arrives last to take the weak square. What the attack wins is either the king or, when the defenders run out of time, a large piece of material — this lesson shows both, and the one question that decides between them: who still defends the weak square?

Lesson Content

Try this position

Black's king castled long and sits on b8 behind the pawns on a7 and b7. Look at b7: White's queen on b3 and bishop on g2 both aim at it, and the bishop on c8 is the only black piece that could take back there. Now count the king's squares if the queen ever lands on b7: a8 and c7 are covered by the queen, c8 is taken by Black's own bishop, a7 by Black's own pawn. If the bishop on c8 were gone, Qxb7 would be checkmate. That is the whole queenside attack in one picture — a weak square, two attackers, and one defender to remove.

King Attack

Try this position

1. ..Rxc8+

Remove the only defender of the weak square — and do it with a check, so Black has no time to answer.

Rxc8+ takes the one defender of b7 and does it with check, so Black has no time for anything else. After 1. ..Rxc8 nobody guards b7 any more, and Qxb7 is checkmate: the bishop on g2 protects the queen, and the king is boxed in by its own rook on c8 and pawn on a7. A rook for a bishop was the price; the king was the prize.

DeflectionKing AttackMating Net

Alternative Moves

Bxb7 — Bxb7 takes the pawn with the wrong piece: 1...Bxb7 recaptures and the battery is broken — Qxb7+ is now answered by Kxb7, and White is simply a bishop down for a pawn.

Qxb7+ — Qxb7+ walks into the defender: 1...Bxb7 takes the queen for a pawn, and the attack is over with White a queen down.

Try this position

Here the pawn storm has already done its work. White's b-pawn stands on b5, the black pawns that once stood on a7 and c7 are gone, and the king on a8 has a single pawn left beside it, on b6. The knight on a4 attacks that pawn, and the queen on e7 is already on the seventh rank, one step from c7. That is the order of a queenside attack: the pawn lever opens the files, a knight lands next to the king, and the queen comes last. Black is a whole rook ahead, so anything slow loses the game — White needs a forced mate, and every piece for it is in place.

King AttackPawn Structure

Try this position

2. ..Nxb6+

Black is a rook up, so nothing slow will do. Begin the forced mate.

Nxb6+ takes the last pawn in front of the king with check, and Black has no pawn left to recapture with. The king has one square — 1. ..Kb8 — and then Qc7# ends it: the queen on c7 is protected by the rook on c1, the knight on b6 covers a8 and c8, and the queen takes b7 and a7 away from the king. Mate in two, and Black's extra rook never got to move.

King AttackMating Net

Alternative Moves

Qc7 — Qc7 threatens mate on b7 but gives Black one free move: 1...Rb8 covers b7 and b8, the forced mate is gone, and with the extra rook on the board Black is no longer losing — the game is level at best.

Qb7+ — Qb7+ is a check for one move only: 1...Kxb7 takes the queen, and White is down a queen and a rook with nothing to show for it.

Try this position

3. Rxc5+

Both queens are attacking each other. Win material with a check.

Rxc5+ takes the knight that was guarding the black queen, and because it is check Black cannot take on f7 in reply. The king must move — 1. ..Kb8, because 1. ..Kd7 walks into Rd1+ and a forced mate — and then the queen on f7 captures on e6: Qxe6, and Black's queen is gone. 2. ..Bxc5 wins the rook back, but White has still taken a queen and a knight for a rook. Not every queenside attack ends in mate: often the check simply arrives first, and the material follows.

King Attack

Alternative Moves

Qxe6+ — Qxe6+ trades queens instead of winning one: 1...Nxe6 recaptures, the rook on d5 is still attacked by the rook on d8, and Black's two knights are worth more than White's extra pawns — White is losing with no attack left.

Rxd8+ — Rxd8+ gives the rook away for nothing extra: 1...Bxd8, and now Qxe6+ Nxe6 is only a queen trade — Black keeps both knights, and White's attack is gone.

Try this position

3. ..Bb7+

White is far behind in material and the rook on c7 is attacked — only a forced mate will save the game. Find it.

Bb7+ gives check from the square next to the king, and the rook on c7 protects the bishop so the king cannot take it. The only square is 1. ..Kb8, and then Na6# — the knight checks from a6 and guards c7, the bishop on b7 takes a8 and c8 away, and the rook on c7 keeps the bishop safe. Mate in two with three pieces, while Black's extra queen never gets a move. On the queenside the pieces that arrive next to the king decide; the ones far away are spectators.

King AttackMating Net

Alternative Moves

Rc8+ — Rc8+ gives up the rook that holds b7: 1...Rxc8 2.Bb7+ Kb8 3.Na6+ and the king simply takes the bishop on b7 — no mate, and White is left a queen down and losing.

Rxa7+ — Rxa7+ looks violent, but 1...Kxa7 just takes the rook: White has thrown away the piece that protects b7, is down a queen and a rook, and the mate is gone.

Try this position

Same picture, different pieces: White's queen on b6 and bishop on d5 both aim at b7, and the bishop on c6 is the only black piece that could take back there. Which move wins?

DeflectionKing Attack

Try this position

Your opponent has castled long and your queen already looks at b7. What decides whether the attack ends in mate?

King Attack

Key Takeaways

The weak square of a long-castled king is usually b7: count the attackers and the defenders before anything else.
Remove the last defender with a check — a quiet removal gives the opponent time to add another.
Material far from the king does not defend it: three pieces next to the king beat a queen on the other side of the board.

Now play it through

Step through every move on a real board, try the wrong ones, and ask Knighty why they fail.

Practice Interactively

Related Lessons

Sacrifice and King Attack

The Attack on f7

Calculate the Line

Summary

Against a king that castled long, find the weak square — usually b7 — and count who attacks it and who defends it. The pawns open the files, a knight or bishop lands next to the king, and the queen comes last. Remove the defender with a check, and the attack wins either the king or, when the king has a square to run to, the piece the check exposed — a queen, in this lesson.

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Practice Interactively

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