Skewer

An attack on a high-value piece forces it to move, exposing a less valuable piece behind it to capture.

The Tour

The Setup

The skewer is the mirror-image of the pin. Here, Black's king and queen are lined up on the e-file, but the most valuable piece (the king) is in the front.

For experienced players

Skewers are incredibly common in rook endgames, often appearing when a defending king steps in front of its own promoting pawn. The attacking rook checks the king, forcing it away, and then captures the newly-promoted queen behind it.