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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.

The Tour

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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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