Chess is often described as 99% tactics. While long-term strategy and planning are crucial, most games at the amateur level are decided by tactical opportunities. A tactic is a short sequence of moves that limits the opponent's options and results in a tangible advantage, such as winning material or delivering checkmate.

To improve your play, you must train your eyes to recognize these tactical patterns. Here are the top 10 chess tactics every player should know.

1. The Pin

A pin occurs when an attacking piece threatens a valuable target, but an opponent's less valuable piece is in the way.

  • An absolute pin is when the piece behind is the king (moving the pinned piece is illegal).
  • A relative pin is when the piece behind is a queen or rook (moving the pinned piece is legal but usually disastrous).

2. The Fork

A fork is a double attack where a single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces simultaneously. Knights are legendary for forks due to their L-shaped movement, but pawns, bishops, rooks, and queens can also execute forks.

3. The Skewer

Often called a "reverse pin," a skewer occurs when a piece attacks a high-value target (like the king or queen) which is forced to move, exposing a less valuable piece behind it to capture.

4. Discovered Attack

A discovered attack happens when moving one piece opens up a line of sight for a teammate (a bishop, rook, or queen) to threaten an enemy target.

5. Double Check

A special type of discovered attack where both the moving piece and the revealed piece deliver check to the king. Because a king cannot block two checks at once, the king must move.

6. Overloaded Piece

When a single defensive piece is tasked with defending too many things at once, it is "overloaded." You can exploit this by capturing one of the defended targets, forcing the defender to abandon the other.

7. Deflection

Deflection is a tactic that forces an opponent's piece away from defending a key square, line, or piece. It often involves a sacrifice to distract the defender.

8. Decoy

Unlike deflection (which chases a piece away), a decoy lures an enemy piece (often the king or queen) onto a specific square where it can be attacked or mated.

9. Clearance Sacrifice

A clearance sacrifice involves sacrificing or moving a piece out of the way to open up a line (file, rank, or diagonal) for a teammate to deliver a decisive blow.

10. The Windmill

A rare but devastating tactic combining a discovered check and a regular check in a repeating sequence. It allows one player to capture multiple enemy pieces in a row while the opponent is forced to repeatedly move their king.

Practice Makes Perfect

Spotting tactics in a real game takes practice. The best way to build your tactical muscle memory is to play games and analyze your moves afterward. Head over to LocalChess, start a match against one of the computer opponents, and keep your eyes open for these 10 patterns!