Pin — Chess Puzzles

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A piece is pinned when moving it would expose something more valuable behind it on the same line. A pin against the king is absolute — moving is illegal, not merely bad. A pin against a queen or a rook is relative: the piece can legally move, but doing so loses material. Only bishops, rooks and queens can pin, because a pin needs a line.

How to spot it

• An enemy piece stands between your bishop, rook or queen and something more valuable behind it.
• The pinned piece is defending something else — and it cannot really defend anything while it is stuck.
• You can pile more attackers onto the pinned piece; it cannot run away.
• A pawn can attack a pinned piece for free, which is often how a pin turns into material.

A worked example

White: king f5, knight c5, pawns f4 and g5. Black: king f8, rook a1. Black to move.

1. Ra5 puts the rook on the fifth rank with the knight on c5 between it and the white king on f5. The knight is now pinned — moving it would leave the king in check, which is not a legal move at all.
2. The knight cannot run, so Black just prepares to take it. Ke5 keeps the king on the rank and does not break the pin.
3. Rxc5 collects the piece, with check into the bargain.

The idea A pinned piece is not defended, it is stuck. Attack it once more and it is yours, because it has no way to step out of the line.