Basic tactics in chess part 2 – Skewer in chess

In our previous article, you saw the information related to pin, it also included how to use pin and trivia which will be answered at the end of this article. We also bring your trivia on today’s topic. Today we will see skewer.

The skewer is exactly the opposite of the pin. How is it so? As we know in a pin, the strongest piece is behind while a weaker piece is in front of it. Here the stronger piece is in front while the weaker piece is at the back. Let me show it to you with a simple example.

In the above position, the white rook is attacking the queen, and when the queen moves, the knight on a5 can be captured for free.
A few more examples of skweres –

Here Black starts with 1…-Qg8+ 2.Qxg8-Rxg8 3.Kf1-Rh1+ 4.Ke2-Rxa1.

Here just 1…-Qh8+ 2.Kf5-Qxc3.

Skewer turns out to be a common idea in the endgame and a lot of endgames are decided with this trick. Let us look at the following examples.

A common way to win this position is 1.Ra8-Rxh7 2.Ra7+-Ke8 3.Rxh7

Here just 1…-Re6+ 2.Kf4-Rxe2.

That’s all for the part of skewers.

Today’s trivia –

Answer to the previous trivia based on pins

White should not capture as it is a famous opening trap –

d4-d5 c4 e6- Nc4-Nf6 Bg5-Nbd7 cxd5-exd5 Nxd5?-Nxd5! Bxd8-Bb4+ Qd2-Kxd8 and black will be a piece up.

 

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