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Pin

Pin

A Pin is a tactic in which a piece is attacked and cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it. In the diagram above, White can play 1.Bc3 and pin the f6-Knight to the h8-Rook. If the Knight moves, the Rook will be easily captured.

Ideas for when you have a strong Pin: (1) Keep the pressure on the pinned piece and limit your opponent's options, (2) Bring more attackers to the pinned piece, (3) Avoid exchanging pieces that relieve the pin, (4) Use the pin to gain material or another advantage. Ideas against a strong Pin: (1) Distract the pinning piece either by attacking it or counterattacking with checks/mating threats, (2) Move the piece behind the pin.

Designed with Love in Italy

These chess icons are our indie studio's tribute to chess lovers around the world. A way of making chess more visual and fun. You can use the icons for free in publicly accessible content, simply by crediting us (see our Licensing Policy). Each icon is paired with examples and numbered insights to help you pick up ideas quickly and talk about chess with confidence. You can get the cards here.

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Master the Pin

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 Pins. 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.

 
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