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TacticsPlay as white

The Pin

Freeze a piece against something more valuable behind it, then attack it again.

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Introduction

A pinned piece is stuck: moving it would expose the king or a bigger piece standing behind it. That makes it a target that cannot run away — which is why the follow-up to a pin is almost always "attack it once more".

Lesson Content

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White's rook on e1 sits one file away from the black queen on f3. If the black king ever stood on f7, a rook on f1 would freeze that queen completely. The king on g8 has its own pawns on g7 and h7 in the way — so a check on the eighth rank drives it exactly where White wants it. A frozen queen cannot run from a second attacker, so White wins her for a rook.

Pin
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1. ..Rb8+

Check along the eighth rank. Black's best is 1. ..Kf7 — the interposition 1. ..Qf8 just loses the queen to 2. Rxf8+ — and then 2. Rf1 pins the queen to the king, wins it for the rook and decides the game.

Pin
Alternative Moves
Rbxe6 — Winning the pawn is tempting, but it gives up the whole idea: Black plays 1...h6, the king finds air on h7, and with no check on the eighth rank there is no pin — White has swapped a queen for a pawn.
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2. Rg5

The black queen on g6 is already pinned: the white queen on g4 attacks it, and the king on g8 stands right behind. A pinned piece cannot run, so attack it a second time. If Black plays 1. ..Qxg5, then 2. Qxg5 leaves White a queen for a rook ahead.

Pin
Alternative Moves
Qd7 — The invasion looks strong, but moving the queen off g4 releases the pin: 1...Qxh5 wins the rook, White answers 2.Qxe8+, and instead of winning a queen for a rook White has only swapped rook for rook.
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Pins are not only for rooks. The black knight on e6 and the black king on c8 stand on the same diagonal, and the white bishop can step onto it from f5. Once it is there the knight cannot move at all, and White's king is free to walk in and take the queenside pawns.

Pin
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3. Bf5

Now the knight is nailed to the diagonal. It cannot move away, and while Black is busy holding it, White's king walks in and collects the pawn on b7.

Pin
Alternative Moves
h4 — A waiting pawn move gives the knight time: after 1...Nf4 it jumps out of the pin — the knight is free again, White's king has nothing to walk into, and the pawn on b7 is never won.
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The black rook on g7 is pinned to the king on h8 by the bishop on d4 — it cannot leave that diagonal to defend the back rank. Which move finishes the game?

PinBack Rank
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You have pinned an enemy piece. What is usually the strongest follow-up?

Pin

Key Takeaways

  • A pinned piece cannot move without exposing what is behind it.
  • The follow-up to a pin is another attacker on the pinned piece.
  • You can create a pin by forcing the enemy king onto the right square first.

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

The Fork

Mate in One

Back-Rank Mate

Summary

A pin is created by lining up a rook, bishop or queen with two enemy pieces, the more valuable one behind. Once the front piece is frozen, pile more attackers onto it — pawns are the ideal second attacker, because the pinned piece cannot take them and run.

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Next in this course

The Skewer

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