Pin

A pin occurs when a long-range piece attacks an enemy unit that shields a more valuable piece or the king on the same line, leaving the attacked unit immobilised.

Category
Tactics
Difficulty
Beginner
Also known as
absolute pin, relative pin, pinned piece

A pin occurs when a long-range piece attacks an enemy unit that shields a more valuable piece or the king on the same line. The attacked unit is immobilised because moving it would expose the piece behind it.

Only bishops, rooks, and queens can create pins. Knights and kings cannot pin because they do not travel any distance along a straight line.

Absolute pins

An absolute pin targets the king. The pinned piece is forbidden to move, as that would place its own king in check. Absolute pins are especially forcing because the defender has no legal way to break the pin by moving the pinned unit.

Relative pins

A relative pin targets a piece of higher value than the one being pinned. The pinned piece may legally move, but doing so usually loses material. In some positions the defender can afford to break a relative pin if the resulting counterplay or material gain justifies the loss.

{"v":1,"type":"board","orientation":"white","fen":"4k3/8/8/4b3/8/8/4R3/4K3 w - - 0 1","arrows":[{"from":"e2","to":"e8","color":"neutral","style":"solid"}],"highlights":[{"square":"e5","color":"bad"}],"caption":"The rook pins the bishop to the king.","alt":"White rook on e2 pins black bishop on e5 to black king on e8. An arrow runs along the e-file; the bishop square is highlighted as the pinned piece."}

In the diagram the bishop cannot step off the e-file without exposing the king to check. The same geometry applies when the piece behind the pinned unit is a queen or rook instead of the king; the only difference is whether the pin is absolute or relative.

Pins restrict the opponent’s mobility and often serve as the foundation for further tactics such as piling up attackers on the pinned piece or using the pin to win material elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pin in chess?
A pin occurs when a long-range piece attacks an enemy unit that shields a more valuable piece or the king on the same line, leaving the attacked unit immobilised because moving it would expose the piece behind it.
Which pieces can create pins?
Only bishops, rooks, and queens can create pins, since knights and kings do not travel any distance along a straight line.
What is an absolute pin?
An absolute pin targets the king, so the pinned piece is forbidden to move because that would place its own king in check.
What is a relative pin?
A relative pin targets a higher-value piece, allowing the pinned unit to move legally but usually resulting in material loss if it does so.

See also

  • Battery — A battery consists of two or more same-colour pieces aligned on a file, rank or diagonal, with the stronger piece behind, so the front unit can move to unleash the rear piece’s concentrated pressure.
  • Discovered Attack — A discovered attack occurs when one piece moves off a line and uncovers an attack from a second piece standing behind it on the same rank, file or diagonal.
  • Interference — Interference is a tactical motif in which a piece is placed on a line to obstruct an opponent’s defender from protecting a key square or unit, typically breaking a pin or discovered attack.
  • Skewer — A skewer is a tactic in which an attacker forces a more valuable enemy piece to move along a shared rank, file, or diagonal, thereby exposing a less valuable piece behind it to capture.
  • X-Ray Attack — An X-ray attack occurs when a piece attacks through an opposing piece to threaten a more valuable target behind it on the same rank, file or diagonal.

Referenced by

  • Corridor Mate — A corridor mate is a checkmate in which a rook or queen attacks the king along an open file or rank while the king’s own pieces or the board edge block escape on the adjacent lines, forming a narrow corridor.
  • Cp — Cp is chess shorthand for counterplay, referring to active moves or plans that create threats, pressure, or complications to offset an opponent's initiative or material advantage.
  • Cross Pin — A cross pin is a tactic in which one piece pins two enemy units along intersecting lines, so that either may be captured if it moves.
  • Decoy — A decoy is a tactic that lures an opponent’s piece onto a particular square, often exposing it to capture or diverting it from defending a more important target.
  • Frozen Rook — A frozen rook is a rook immobilized by pins, discovered attacks, or defensive duties that prevent it from moving without allowing decisive material loss or check.
  • Greek Gift Sacrifice — The Greek Gift is a classic bishop sacrifice on h7 (or h2) against a castled king, usually prepared by a knight on g5 and followed by Qh5 to launch a decisive kingside attack.
  • Half-Pin — A half-pin occurs when two same-color pieces stand on a line between an enemy piece and a target such as the king, so that moving either one exposes the other to capture or check.
  • Patzer — A patzer is a mildly pejorative term for a weak or inexperienced chess player who repeatedly makes elementary mistakes and shows little grasp of basic strategy or tactics.
  • Tactic Goblin — A tactic goblin is an intermediate player who habitually searches for forcing sequences such as forks, pins, and discoveries to gain material or initiative, often prioritizing calculation over positional planning.
  • Tactics — Tactics are short sequences of forcing moves that win material, deliver checkmate, or gain a decisive advantage by exploiting immediate threats like forks, pins, or discovered attacks.
  • X-Ray — An X-ray is a tactical motif where a piece attacks through an enemy unit to control or threaten a square or piece behind it, akin to a skewer.

Written by Chesswick.

Reviewed by Benjamin Himmel.

Published
Last updated

About the reviewer

Benjamin Himmel

Ben's been in love with chess since he was seven years old, when his grandfather taught him the Sicilian Defense on a well-worn board that had traveled through three generations of family game nights.

Read full profile