What is a pin in chess? - Duolingo
What is a pin in chess?
A pin is a tactic in which a long-range piece (a queen, rook, or bishop) attacks an enemy piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it on the same line. Pins are useful ways to control the board, restrict your opponent's pieces, and win material.
The white queen pins the black knight to the black king.
How does a pin work in chess?
Three ingredients make a pin:
- The pinning piece. This is the attacker. It must be a long-range piece: a queen, rook, or bishop.
- The pinned piece. This is the piece stuck in the middle. It's frozen because moving is either illegal, or would be worse than staying put.
- The piece behind the pinned piece. This is the real target. It's a more valuable enemy piece.
The rook creates a pin. The knight cannot move without exposing the king to check. Engine-verified position, Elo 413.
Which pieces can create a pin?
| Piece | Can pin? | Why / How |
|---|---|---|
| Queen | Yes | Pins along ranks, files, and diagonals. |
| Rook | Yes | Pins along ranks and files. |
| Bishop | Yes | Pins along diagonals. |
| Knight | No | Jumps in an L-shape; it can't attack in a straight line. |
| Pawn | No | Only attacks one square diagonally forward. |
| King | No | Only moves one square; it can't sustain a line of attack. |
What are the two main types of pins?
The two main types of pins are absolute and relative pins.
An absolute pin targets the king. Because chess rules say the king cannot legally enter check, the pinned piece literally cannot move.
Absolute pin. The white queen pins the black knight against the king. It cannot move without putting the king in check.
A relative pin targets something other than the king, like a queen, a rook, or other valuable piece. The pinned piece could technically move, but doing so would let the pinning piece capture something worth more. However, sometimes your opponent will move the pinned piece if they gain something bigger in return, like a checkmate threat.
Relative pin. The white queen pins the black knight against the rook. The knight could move, but that would give up the rook for free.
How do you take advantage of a pin?
Ways to exploit a pin:
- Capture the pinned piece. Sometimes a pinned piece has fewer defenders than you have attackers, or even just no defenders at all, and you can simply capture the pinned piece to win material.
- Attack something the pinned piece is defending. This is a sneaky way to attack. Look at what the pinned piece is supposed to be guarding, and go after that.
- Attack the pinned piece with a pawn. Pawns are your cheapest attackers, and are often a great way to attack a pinned piece.
White adds the queen as a second attacker to the pinned knight. The black queen retreats, and the bishop captures the knight.
How do you defend against a pin?
Being pinned can feel scary. But you're not helpless. Here are your main options:
- Break the pin. Move the valuable piece that's behind the pinned piece off the line.
- Block the line. Place one of your own pieces between your opponent's pinning piece and your pinned piece, or between your pinned piece and your more valuable piece behind it.
- Capture the pinning piece. If you can take the attacker, the pin disappears.
- Make a bigger threat. Sometimes the best response to a pin is to create a threat so dangerous your opponent has to deal with it instead.
- Add defenders to the pinned piece. If you can't break the pin right away, pile up your own defenders on the pinned piece so your opponent can't win it.
Prevention is even better. Before your opponent creates a pin, think about where your pieces line up. If you see a vulnerable alignment, adjust before the pin can even be created.
The black knight and rook are lined up on the same file. Black moves the knight before the white rook can create a pin.
See it in action
Example 1: A bishop pin
Pin the rook.
Solution: The black bishop moves two squares diagonally, creating an absolute pin on the white rook against its king.
Example 2: A rook pin
Find the pin.
Solution: The white rook moves vertically up its file, arriving on the same rank as both the black knight and king. This creates an absolute pin on the knight.
Example 3: A cross-pin traps a rook on two lines
Cross-pin the black rook.
Solution: The white queen captures the pawn, creating a cross-pin. The black rook is now pinned on two lines at once with no safe escape.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an absolute pin and a relative pin?
An absolute pin targets the king, which means the pinned piece cannot legally move because doing so would leave its own king in check. A relative pin targets another valuable piece, so the pinned piece can move, but it would usually be a terrible idea.
Can a pinned piece still give check?
Yes, on rare occasion pinned pieces can move to put the opponent in check, as long as doing so does not put the player's own king in check. However, pinned pieces may not move out of an absolute pin to try to check the opponent, because this would put the player's own king in check, which is illegal.
Can you pin a king?
No. A pin places a piece under attack, and for a king, an attack is called a check. Since a king cannot remain in check, it may not stay under attack, and therefore may not be pinned.
Is a pin the same as a skewer?
They're similar but opposite. In a pin, the less valuable piece is in front and the more valuable piece is behind it. In a skewer, it's reversed: the more valuable piece is in front and gets forced to move, exposing the less valuable piece behind it.
What should I do when one of my pieces gets pinned?
Look for ways to break the pin: move the valuable piece off the line, block the line with one of your own pieces, capture the pinning piece, add defenders to the pinned piece, or create a bigger threat elsewhere.