Pin in Chess

What is a pin in chess

A pin is a situation where a piece can't move without losing something, because there is a more important target behind it.

Most often the piece behind the pinned one is the king, the queen or a rook. If the pinned piece moves away, the more valuable piece comes under attack.

The strongest pin is an absolute one: the piece is pinned to the king and can't leave the line of the pin at all. If the piece behind it is not the king but, for example, the queen, it's a relative pin: the move is possible, but it usually loses material.

Why a pin is so unpleasant

A pinned piece seems "glued" to its square. It is still on the board, but often it can neither move away nor defend properly.

This matters a lot in tactics: a pinned piece often stops taking part in the defense, and then you can win a pawn, a piece or even launch a mating attack.

Reminder: if a piece is pinned to the king, it can't move away, because a player's own king can never be left in check.

How to find a pin

  1. Find a line: a bishop, rook or queen often creates a pin.
  2. See whether there is an enemy piece standing in front of an important piece.
  3. Check whether you can place your piece so that it attacks through it.
  4. Ask yourself: what happens if the pinned piece moves anyway?
  5. Then look for the follow-up: how to use the pin, by winning material, giving check, attacking or launching a mating attack.

Tips to spot pins faster

For kids

Imagine one piece is "shielding" another. If the front piece runs away, the one behind it is attacked right away. That means the front piece is pinned.

The easiest pins to look for are made by a bishop, a rook and a queen: they attack along lines.

For adults

Look for X-ray attacks and overloaded defenders. A pin often means that a piece formally defends a square but can't really do its defensive job.

Pins against the king are especially dangerous: they restrict mobility and create tactical motifs such as winning a piece, opening a line, a mating net.

Common mistake: spotting a pin and celebrating right away. You need to check: is the threat strong enough, can the opponent trade pieces, and is your attacking piece too weakly protected.

Examples

Try it yourself: make a move on the board. If you get stuck, press "Show solution".

1. Absolute pin with a bishop: the knight is pinned to the king

Move: Bg5

Idea: the bishop goes to g5 and pins the knight on e7 to the king on d8.

This is an absolute pin: the knight can't move, because that would open the line to its own king.

Solution: Bg5 - the knight on e7 is pinned to the king on d8 and can't make a single move.

2. Absolute pin with a rook: the bishop is pinned along the file

Move: Re1

Idea: the rook on e1 pins the bishop on e7 to the king on e8.

The bishop stands in front of the king and can't move away. Pins like this along a file with a rook happen very often.

Solution: Re1 - the bishop on e7 is pinned to the king on e8: it can't move.

3. Relative pin: the knight is pinned to the queen

Move: Bb5

Idea: from b5 the bishop pins the knight on c6 to the queen on d7.

This is not an absolute pin but a relative pin: the knight can move, but then the queen will be left under attack.

Solution: Bb5 - the knight on c6 is pinned to the queen on d7: if the knight moves, the bishop takes the queen.

4. A pin by the queen along a diagonal

Move: Qa4

Idea: the queen comes out to a4 and pins the knight on c6 to the king on e8.

The queen is great at pinning too: it can work both like a rook and like a bishop, so it can pin pieces along files and ranks as well as along diagonals.

Solution: Qa4 - the knight on c6 is pinned to the king on e8: it can't move.

5. Relative pin with a rook: the knight is pinned to the queen

Move: Rd1

Idea: the rook on d1 pins the knight on d7 to the queen on d8.

This pin doesn't forbid the move completely, but it makes it a very bad idea: if the knight moves, the queen is lost.

Solution: Rd1 - the knight on d7 is pinned to the queen on d8: if the knight moves, the rook takes the queen.

A daily mini-workout

  • Look at the lines of your bishops, rooks and queen.
  • Check whether some piece stands in front of the king or queen.
  • If you find a pin, ask yourself right away: what can I win next?
  • Remember: a pinned piece is often a poor defender of other squares and pieces.

A pin is not just a nice-looking position. It's a way to restrict an opponent's piece and prepare the next tactical idea.