Articles on the main tactical themes: each one explains the idea, gives a step-by-step method and examples you can solve on the board.
Mate in 1: How to find mate in 1 move: a simple method, typical checkmate patterns and puzzles on the board with solutions. Solve online for free, no sign-up needed. Great for kids and beginners.
Forks and double attacks: What a fork and a double attack are in chess, why they work so often and how to find them. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions, for kids and beginners.
Pin: What a pin is in chess, how an absolute pin differs from a relative pin and how to use it in your games. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Skewer: What a skewer is in chess: an attack on a valuable piece with another piece standing behind it on the same line. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Discovered check and windmill: What a discovered check and a windmill are in chess and how to use them to win material. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with step-by-step solutions.
Discovered attack: What a discovered attack is in chess: one piece moves away and opens a line for another. How to find it, with clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Double check: What a double check is in chess and why the only way to escape it is to move the king. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions, for kids and beginners.
Trapped piece: How to trap an opponent's piece that has nowhere to retreat: typical traps for the bishop, knight and queen. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Removing the defender: Removing the defender in chess: capture the piece that guards an important square or another piece. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Deflection: What deflection is in chess: forcing an enemy piece away from an important square or line. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions, for kids and beginners.
Decoy: What a decoy is in chess: using a sacrifice to lure an enemy piece or the king onto a bad square. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions, for kids and beginners.
Mate in 2: How to find mate in 2: the order of calculation, typical mating patterns and puzzles on the board with solutions. Solve online for free, no registration needed.
Overloading: What overloading is in chess: one piece has to guard two things at once and cannot cope. How to use it, with examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Interference: What interference is in chess: putting a piece between a defender and what it protects. Clear explanation with examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Back rank weakness: Why a king behind its own pawns risks a back rank mate, how to use this weakness and how to defend against it. Examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Draw: How to reach a draw in a worse position: stalemate, perpetual check and other saving tricks. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Mate in 3 and 4: How to calculate mate in 3 and mate in 4: forcing lines, typical mating patterns and chess puzzles on the board with solutions. Solve online for free.
Clearance: The clearance tactic in chess: move your own piece out of the way, often with a sacrifice, so another piece can go there. Examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Defense: How to defend in chess: notice your opponent's threats, find defensive moves and counterattacks. Clear examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Zwischenzug: What a zwischenzug (in-between move) is in chess: instead of the expected reply, play a stronger move, usually with a threat. Examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
Pawn promotion: How a pawn promotes to a queen or another piece, what underpromotion is and how to fight for the promotion square. Examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.
En passant: What en passant is in chess: when a pawn captures a pawn that jumped two squares, why only right away and how it is written. Examples and puzzles on the board with solutions.