Deflectionĭeflection is a from of removing a defender. If black plays 1… Kc6, then white will play 2.a6, again luring the king away from the other pawn. Since that piece can’t be in two places at the same time, a decoy can help you achieve your goal.ĭiagram above: White plays 1.d6 and now the black king is helpless. DecoyĪ decoy is a tactical idea where you lure your opponent piece away from where it is needed. Cross-checkĪ cross-check occurs when a player blocks a check against their king and in the process checks the opponent’s king.ĭiagram above: Black made a mistake by playing 1… Qd2+ because white blocks the check and at the same time checks the black king, which means that, after the king gets out of check, black will lose the hanging rook on b6. Instead of moving the rook, black finds a counter-threat, 1… Qd4+, followed by Qxb4. The point is 2.Kxh1 Qh8+ 3.Kg1 Qh2# Counter Threatĭiagram above: White just played 1.Bb4, threatening to capture the rook on f1. Get your copy of the 7 skills training modelĭownload this helpful summary of the important skills you need to train!ĭiagram above: 1… Rh1+ clears the h8-square for the queen. This battery setup can place a lot of pressure along the file they’re on (in this case Alekhine’s opponent resigned 4 moves later). Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930).ĭiagram above: White played Qc1. The diagram below is from the actual game where this formation got its name from (Alekhine vs. Battery / Alekhine’s GunĪlekhine’s gun is a special case of a battery where two rooks are stacked one behind another and the queen at the rear. Battery / Queen and Bishopĭiagram above: 1.Qxg7# The queen is supported by the bishop on b2. Two rooks can dominate an open rank or file if they manage to form an unopposed battery on it.ĭiagram above: 1.Rd8+ Rxd8 2.Rxd8# The back-up provided by the second rook delivers the checkmate. The queen, of course, can be part of a battery on a rank, file or diagonal. The rooks can form a battery on a rank or file whilst the bishops can be part of a battery on a diagonal. Only queens, rooks and bishops can form a battery. In chess, a battery refers to lining up two or more pieces on the same diagonal, rank or file. The point is that after 1… Kxf6, white will play 2.Bc3+, a skewer that wins the black rook on h8. AttractionĪttraction tactics occur when you lure (or force) an enemy piece onto a square where it will become vulnerable to another tactical ideas:ĭiagram above: 1.Rxf6 attracts the black king to the f6-square. Note: The above list of chess tactics exclude common checkmate patterns.