chess tactic
concrete sequence of chess moves leading to an advantage
overloading
chess tactic that gives a defensive piece an additional defensive assignment which it cannot fulfil without abandoning its original defensive assignment
decoy
chess tactic
skewer
chess tactic in which one attacks a valuable piece, which the opponent is compelled to move at the cost of losing a less valuable piece behind it
interference
chess tactic
poisoned pawn
a pawn whose capture can result in a positional loss of time or a loss of material
staircase maneuver
chess tactic in queen and pawn endgames where the defender has 7th‐rank pawns, in which the attacking queen alternates between a series of pins and checks until mate
trapping the queen
chess tactical motif
deflection
chess tactic that forces an opposing piece to leave the square, rank or file it occupies, thus exposing the king or a valuable piece
battery
chess formation that consists of two or more pieces on the same rank, file, or diagonal
combination
in chess, a sequence of moves, often initiated by a sacrifice, which leaves the opponent few options and results in tangible gain
Zugzwang
situation in chess and other games that forbid passing, wherein one player is put at a disadvantage by the obligation to make a move
discovered attack
a situation in chess and chess-like games where one piece moves to allow another friendly piece to then attack an enemy piece
artificial castling
chess maneuver in which a king which has lost the right to castle achieves a castled position in several normal moves, instead of the one special move
fork
chess piece attacking two or more pieces simultaneously
cross-check
in chess, a check played in reply to a check
chess trap
in chess, a move which tempts the opponent to play a losing move
attraction
chess tactical motif involving a sacrifice that attracts an opposing piece (e.g. king) to a tactically exploitable square
transposition
reaching a chess position via an alternative sequence of moves
pin
in chess, a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece
triangulation
chess tactic to put one’s opponent in zugzwang
fortress
endgame drawing technique in which the side behind in material sets up a zone of protection that the opponent cannot penetrate
X-ray
chess tactic where a tactic where a piece indirectly attacks an enemy piece through another piece or defends a friendly piece through an enemy piece
bypassing
chess endgame manoeuvre
pawn storm
chess tactic in which several pawns are moved in rapid succession toward the opponent's defenses
windmill
chess tactic in which a combination of discovered checks and regular checks, usually by a rook and a bishop, often forcing the opposing king to move back and forth between two squares, can win massive amounts of material
sacrifice
chess move that offers material gain in exchange for positional advantage
chasing
chess tactic
desperado
chess piece that is to be captured but captures an enemy piece before it happens or will cause stalemate when captured
chess exchange
series of moves in chess in which the players capture each other’s pieces
swindle
chess maneuver by which players in a losing position trick their opponent to win or draw
blocking
chess tactic
block
defensive tactic in chess in response to an attack, consisting of interposing a piece between the opponent's attacking piece and the piece being attacked
clearance sacrifice
chess tactic in which one’s own pieces (often pawns) are sacrificed to open up lines of attack
anti-computer tactics
methods used by humans to try to beat computer opponents at various games, e.g. chess or go
undermining
chess tactic in which a defensive piece is captured, leaving one of the opponent's pieces undefended or under-defended
undermining the pawn chain
chess tactic