The Hook and Ladder tactic is a maneuver in which a Rook is lured away from the protection of its Queen. This tactic effectively "pulls the ladder" out from under the Queen, allowing for its capture. In the diagram above, White can play 1.Rd8+, deflecting the e8-Rook and allowing for the capture of the black Queen on the next move with 2.Qxe6.
When creating a Hook and Ladder tactic: (1) Be mindful of counterattacks that can render your tactic less effective. Against a Hook and Ladder tactic: (1) Look for defensive resources that mitigate the impact of the tactic.
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When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on the Hook and Ladder pattern. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this tactical pattern.
In this video by the ChessLecturecom YouTube channel (unfortunately not that active anymore), Dana Mackenzie (the Master that gave the name to the tactic!) gives several examples of the Hook and Ladder trick.
This nice video by Chess School YouTube channel presents in full the infamous game between Aronian and Svidler, in which the former was a victim of the Hook and Ladder trick.
A fun and instructive book by David LeMoir on tactical sacrifices structured around the concepts of motivation, imagination and calculation. Very enjoyable and useful. For intermediate players.
If you are a beginner don’t skip this great (and inexpensive) collection of exercises. Dave Couture took many lower-rated players games and extracted these 1002 positions. From easy to less easy.
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