Master the Fundamentals: Your First Three Chess Tactics ♟️

Many beginners get bogged down in opening theory, trying to memorize move after move. While that's important later, what really wins games at the club level and online is tactics. Tactics are short, forced sequences of moves that result in a tangible gain, usually winning material. Here are three essential tactics every new player must know.

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1. The Fork 🍴

A fork is a single piece attacking two or more of your opponent's pieces at the same time. Since your opponent can only respond to one threat, you're guaranteed to win a piece or gain a significant advantage. The knight is the king of forks, with its unique "L-shaped" move that can jump over other pieces.

How to Spot It:

• Look for knights, especially near the center of the board, as they have the most reach there.

• Scan the board for your opponent's valuable, undefended pieces (loose pieces).

• Can one of your pieces attack two of them at once?

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2. The Pin 📍

A pin is when an attacking piece traps an opponent's piece because moving it would expose a more valuable piece behind it to capture. A pinned piece can't move, turning it into a sitting duck.

There are two types of pins:

• Absolute Pin: The pinned piece cannot move at all because doing so would expose the king to check, which is an illegal move.

• Relative Pin: The pinned piece can move, but doing so would expose a more valuable piece (like a queen or rook) behind it.

How to Spot It:

• Look for alignments of opponent's pieces along ranks, files, or diagonals.

• Can you place one of your long-range pieces (bishop, rook, or queen) on a square where it attacks a less valuable piece that's in front of a more valuable one?

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3. The Skewer 🍡

A skewer is the reverse of a pin. An attacking piece threatens a more valuable piece, and when that piece moves, it exposes a less valuable piece behind it to capture.

How to Spot It:

• Look for alignments of your opponent's pieces where the more valuable piece is in the front.

• Can you put pressure on the front piece with a long-range piece of your own?

Mastering these three tactics—the fork, the pin, and the skewer—is a game-changer. Practice recognizing these patterns in your own games and in tactical puzzles. The more you see them, the more you'll find them, and the more games you'll win.