What is a pin in chess?
A pin happens when a piece cannot move because doing so would expose a more valuable piece standing behind it on the same line. Only the long-range pieces can pin - rooks and queens along ranks and files, bishops and queens along diagonals.
There are two kinds. An absolute pin is against the king: the pinned piece is legally forbidden from moving at all. A relative pin is against a queen or rook: the piece may legally move, but doing so loses material, so in practice it is stuck too.
The reason pins win games is that a pinned piece stops being a piece. It cannot run, and it often cannot defend either - a knight pinned to its king is still on the board but is no longer guarding anything. The winning technique follows from that: pile more attackers onto the frozen piece, starting with your cheapest one, until the defence collapses.
- Only rooks, bishops and queens can pin.
- Absolute pin - against the king; the piece cannot legally move.
- Relative pin - against a queen or rook; moving is legal but loses material.
- A pinned piece is a poor defender: attack whatever it was guarding.
- Attack a pinned piece again, cheapest attacker first, usually a pawn.
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More about this
What is a pin in chess?
A piece is pinned when moving it would expose a more valuable piece behind it on the same line. It is created by a rook, bishop or queen aiming through the pinned piece.
What is the difference between an absolute and a relative pin?
An absolute pin is against the king, so moving the pinned piece is illegal. A relative pin is against a queen or rook - the move is legal but usually loses material, so the piece is effectively frozen anyway.
How do you take advantage of a pin?
Attack the pinned piece again with your cheapest available piece, usually a pawn. Because it cannot run, the extra attacker wins it. Remember too that a pinned piece defends poorly, so look at whatever it was guarding.
What is the difference between a pin and a skewer?
They are mirror images. In a pin the more valuable piece is behind, and the cheaper one is stuck in front. In a skewer the valuable piece is in front, is attacked, must move, and exposes the piece behind it.
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