Tactic Any phase Rating <1000

Skewer

A skewer is like a pin in reverse: you attack a valuable piece, and when it steps aside, you grab the less valuable piece that was hiding behind it. It works in a straight line, so bishops, rooks, and queens do the skewering.

Skewer — example position♛♚♜♚

The rook checks the king along the a-file. When the king steps aside, the rook captures the queen that was hiding behind it — a skewer, a pin in reverse.

Practise Skewer ▸Study this conceptGet a training plan

Source for further study: Bain, Chess Tactics for Students, ch. 3.

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