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Tactic

Pin

A piece is trapped in place because moving it would expose a more valuable piece behind it to capture.

Starting position

The Setup

Black has a powerful queen, while White only has a bishop. However, notice how Black's queen and king are perfectly lined up on the same dark diagonal.

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Move sequences and interactive tour paths for Pin

Starting Position (FEN): 7k/1p4q1/8/8/8/8/8/1KB5 w - - 0 1

The Absolute Pin

  • The Setup - Black has a powerful queen, while White only has a bishop. However, notice how Black's queen and king are perfectly lined up on the same dark diagonal.
  • Bb2: Pinning the Queen - The bishop moves to the long diagonal, attacking the queen. The queen cannot move away because she is pinned to the king — it is illegal to expose your own king to check. This is called an absolute pin.
  • Qxb2+: Forced Desperation - With no way to run, Black's best try is to capture the attacking bishop, giving up the queen. (If Black had ignored it, White would simply take the queen next turn.)
  • Kxb2: Winning the Exchange - White's king recaptures. By using a pin, White traded a less valuable bishop for the most valuable piece on the board.
For experienced players

While this is an “absolute pin” (against the king, making moving strictly illegal), “relative pins” (against a queen or undefended rook) are just as common. In a relative pin, the pinned piece CAN legally move, but doing so would be a catastrophic blunder.

See also:Skewer·How the Bishop Moves·Deflection

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