Tactics Demo
This is just a short little game full of mistakes to show you what to look
for in a game of chess. Click here for an analysis
of a complete game between Grandmasters Polgar and Shirov, or here
for a game between more average people.
For now though, let's look at what you should watch out for. 1. d3 Nf6
(Notation Help)
White has made a timid move, only opening a bishop,
but Black comes back more aggressively.
(This is not a game between real people. I'm just setting up a possible
situation.)
Now just suppose... 2. Bg5 e5.
The Pin
With his last move, Black has walked into a Pin. That is to say, his knight
is now pinned down, blocking the attack on his queen from the white bishop.
If he foolishly moved it anyway, the board might look like this.
However, let's imagine something a little more reasonable, 3. Nc3
d6.
White to move
Now White could play 4. Nd5, when
his knight would be safe, since the black knight is pinned. However, in
this game, White captures first, so we see 4. Bxf6
Qxf6.
The Fork
White to move
Now when White plays 5. Nd5 , he
has a Fork, threatening the black queen and the pawn on c7. When two pieces
are in trouble, that's a fork. The best defense is prevention to begin
with; but if that fails, the general rule is to move one to safety where
it can protect the other like this.
In this case though, let's imagine Black plays 5...Qe6
? .
? This is common notation for having
the opinion that THIS is probably a bad move.
White to move
Seeing only that his queen is in danger, Black quickly plays 5...Qe6?,
to dodge the attack from the white knight. He didn't realize that you should
always look for at least two reasons to dislike your opponent's last move.
Now White can play 6. Nxc7+, winning
a pawn and stabbing Black's pieces with another Fork.
Black to move
White has just played 7. Nxc7. This is one of the most deadly Forks there
is. Black will have to move his king out of check, and then White will
be glad to give up his knight for the queen. Suppose the game continues
6...Kd7 7. Nxe6.
Black to move
Black can now take the knight with his king or pawn.
It is generally bad to move your king out into the open, but suppose Black
plays 7...Kxe6. That will tempt
White to try to get a Skewer.
White to move
Now we will see 8. e4 g5.
The Skewer
Black's last move was very bad. It did nothing to stop White's threat of
9. Qg4+.
Black to move
This move is a Fork, because it attacks the black king and pawn; but it
is also a Skewer, because the queen aims at the black bishop
on c8 as well. After the king moves, the bishop will be up for grabs.
Black could try to block the attack by moving his pawn to f5, but White
could just take it, since he has two attackers on that square against one
defender. Instead, the game continues 9...Kf6
10. Qxc8.
Black to move
Black is in deep trouble, but he now sets a trap and White falls in: 10...d5
11. exd5??.
The Xray/Discovered Attack
Black to move
Now it might look like the black bishop and knight are pinned down, but
that is not entirely true, because Black has an Xray or Discovered Attack with 11...Bb4+.
White to move
White is in check, and doesn't have time to take the black rook.
As a result, he will lose his queen. As you can see, a discovered attack
can be very nasty surprise. Beware of pieces blocked by things that can
move.
Now the game could go either way, and it would probably depend on who made
the next mistake.
There are some other common tactics, attacking two different places defended
by the same piece (overworked) for instance, but the tactics I have shown
have one thing in common. Forks, Skewers,
Discovered
Attacks, and even Pins, all involve attacking two
(or more) places at once.
If you watch your opponent's last move with the idea that he is trying
to use one or more of these tactics, you won't fall into any traps.