Pins and skewers are usually taught separately, but they're really one idea viewed from two directions. In both, a long-range piece — a bishop, rook, or queen — attacks along a line that runs through two enemy pieces. The only difference is which piece is in front.
- Pin: the piece in front is worth less than the one behind. It doesn't dare move.
- Skewer: the piece in front is worth more. It has to move, and the piece behind falls.
Once you see them as a pair, spotting one makes you better at spotting the other.
Pins
Absolute pins
When the piece behind is the king, the pinned piece can't legally move off the line at all — doing so would expose the king to check.
Two consequences that beginners often miss:
- The pinned piece can't defend anything off the pin line, because it can't move to capture.
- But it still controls squares as far as the enemy king is concerned. The opposing king can't step onto a square the pinned piece attacks, because in the rules a pinned piece still gives check.
Relative pins
When the piece behind is something valuable but not the king — usually the queen or a rook — the pinned piece can legally move. It's just a bad idea, because the piece behind would be captured.
Relative pins can be broken with a counter-threat. The most famous example is the Légal trap, where White lets a knight "escape" a pin, gives up the queen, and delivers checkmate. The lesson: before relying on a pin, ask what happens if the pinned piece moves anyway.
How to deal with a pin
- Break it by moving the piece behind. If your knight is pinned to your queen, move the queen.
- Block the line with another piece, ideally a less valuable one.
- Attack the pinning piece — often with a pawn ("put the question to the bishop").
- Counterattack with something bigger, so your opponent has no time to exploit the pin.
What you should not do is leave the pin in place and let your opponent pile up more attackers on the pinned piece. Pinned pieces are targets.
Skewers
A skewer attacks the more valuable piece first. It must move, and the piece behind it is lost.
The king skewer
When the front piece is the king, the opponent has no choice: they're in check and must move out of the line.
Material won isn't always a win
This second example hides a lesson. Without White's f2 pawn, winning the rook would leave king and bishop against a bare king — a draw, because a lone bishop can't deliver mate. Always check what's left on the board after the tactic. See chess piece values for why material alone isn't the whole story.
The skewer every rook-endgame player knows
A classic setup: White has a pawn on a7 and a rook on a8 in front of it. Black's rook sits behind on the a-file, waiting to take the pawn the moment White's rook moves away.
The trick works only because the black king is on f7. With the king on g7, it covers both h7 and h8, White can't move the rook away, and the position is a draw. One square decides the game — which is why rook-endgame specialists always check where the defending king stands before doing anything else. More on these positions in our endgames section.
One way to spot both
Train your eyes to look for enemy pieces lined up on a rank, file, or diagonal with nothing in between. When you see two:
- Smaller piece in front, bigger behind → look for a pin.
- Bigger piece in front, smaller behind → look for a skewer.
Then ask two follow-up questions: Can I get a line piece onto that line? and Will my piece be safe when it gets there?
A useful habit during games: after every move your opponent makes, glance along the eight lines running through their king. If any of them has another enemy piece on it, a pin or skewer may already be available — or coming soon.
The "x-ray" idea
Pins and skewers belong to a wider family of x-ray tactics, where a line piece exerts pressure through another piece. Even when there's no immediate win, a rook facing the enemy queen with one piece in between creates tension: the moment that middle piece moves, something happens. Strong players keep track of these hidden lines and time their moves so the line opens at the right moment.
Avoiding pins and skewers
- Don't line up your king and queen on an open line your opponent's bishop, rook, or queen can reach.
- Castle early. A king in the center sits on many open lines.
- Watch diagonals leading to your king in the opening — bishop pins on knights are the most common kind.
- In endgames, think about checks. Nearly every skewer begins with a check. Before each move, ask whether your opponent has a check along a line through your king.
Practicing
- Set up the diagrams above and try moving one piece: protect the queen with a pawn, shift the king off the line. Does the tactic still work?
- Label your puzzles. When you solve tactics, say out loud whether the pattern is a fork, pin, or skewer. Naming patterns helps them stick.
- Try the positions against the engine. Every diagram has a link underneath to play the position against the computer on our board, so you can execute the tactic and see how it defends.
For the other core tactic, see our guide to knight forks, and for a mating pattern that decides countless club games, read about the back rank mate.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a pin and a skewer?
In a pin, the less valuable piece is in front and can't move without exposing the more valuable one. In a skewer, the more valuable piece is in front and must move, exposing the piece behind.
Can a knight pin or skewer?
No. Knights jump rather than attack along lines, so there's nothing "behind" their target. Knights specialize in forks instead.
Is an absolutely pinned piece completely useless?
Not completely. It can't move off the pin line, but it still blocks the line and still controls squares for the purpose of checks against the enemy king.
Why do skewers show up so much in endgames?
Because the board is open, kings are active and often stand in the middle, and long-range pieces have clear lines. All of that creates skewer chances.
How do I get better at seeing pins?
Before each move, look along the lines leading to your opponent's king and queen. With practice, lined-up pieces start to jump out at you.
