Chess tactics
The skewer: a pin turned around
A skewer attacks a valuable piece in front; when it steps aside, the piece behind it on the same line falls.
5,780 vetted skewers puzzlesTrain skewers →
It’s a pin with the order reversed — the big piece is the one under fire, so it must move, and that exposes whatever stood behind it. Checks against the king are the most forcing way to set one up: the king has to step off the line, and the rook or queen behind it is yours.
How to spot it
- A line piece aimed at the enemy king or queen, with another piece directly behind.
- Checks are the strongest skewers — the king must move and abandon the line.
- Endgames with exposed kings are skewer country.
From the corpus
Three real skewers, each verified by Stockfish at depth 22. Click any one to solve it.
More tactics
Forks
A fork is a single piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time. Your opponent can only save one — you take the other.
Pins
A pin freezes an enemy piece against a more valuable one behind it. It can’t move without giving up the piece in the rear — so you pile up on it and win it.
Discovered attacks
A discovered attack moves one piece out of the way to open fire from the piece behind it. Two threats land at once, and your opponent often can’t meet both.
Deflection
A defender is doing important work — guarding a mating square, holding a piece. Deflection gives it something it can’t refuse, and once it moves, what it guarded falls.
Trapped pieces
A trapped piece has no safe square. It’s still on the board, but it can’t get out — so you win it at your leisure.
Back-rank mates
A rook or queen reaches the back rank and mates a king boxed in by its own unmoved pawns. With no escape square, one heavy piece ends it.