Pin (chess) – Definition and types
Pin
Definition
A pin is a tactical motif in which a piece cannot move (or hesitates to move) because doing so would expose a more valuable piece behind it to capture. In effect, the pinned piece is “nailed” to the square, much like the hinge of a door: the front piece is the hinge that must stay put, while the more valuable piece is the door that would swing wide open if the hinge disappeared.
Types of Pins
- Absolute pin – Moving the pinned piece would put or leave the king in check, which is illegal. Example: a bishop on g5 pinning a knight on f6 to the black king on e7.
- Relative pin – Moving the pinned piece is legal but usually disastrous because it would allow the capture of a queen, rook, or other major piece behind it. Example: a rook on d1 pinning a knight on d7 to the queen on d8.
- Cross-pin / Mutual pin – The pinned piece simultaneously pins an enemy piece, creating a complicated standoff.
- Partial pin – The pinned piece can still move along the line of the pin but not away from it (e.g., a rook pinned on an open file can move up and down but not sideways).
Usage and Strategic Significance
Pins are fundamental to both tactics and strategy:
- They immobilize defenders, creating targets elsewhere.
- They can force concessions, such as awkward pawn moves or loss of castling rights.
- They often lead directly to material gain (“pin and win”).
- They serve as building blocks for more complex ideas like skewers, deflections, and zugzwang.
Examples
1. Opening Pin: The Ruy Lopez (Spanish Game)
After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5, White’s bishop pins the knight on c6 to the king on e8. Black cannot simply play 3…Nxe4?? because 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nxe5 wins a pawn.
2. Tactical Pin: Fischer – Benko, Candidates 1963
Fischer famously exploited a pin on the long diagonal. In the position after 30…Qe7, Fischer uncorked 31. Bxf6! when the pawn on e5 was absolutely pinned by the queen on h5 against Black’s king on g8. Benko’s recapture blundered a piece, and Fischer converted smoothly.
3. Cross-Pin: Nimzowitsch – Tarrasch, St Petersburg 1914
Both sides had pieces pinned on the d-file; whoever broke the symmetry first would lose. Nimzowitsch’s creative maneuvering around the cross-pin became a textbook illustration in his classic My System.
Historical Notes
- Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch coined the maxim “The pin is mightier than the sword,” emphasizing its power in both attack and defense.
- In the romantic 19th century, pins frequently arose from open gambit play; Wilhelm Steinitz began showing how to exploit them positionally rather than simply as tactical fireworks.
- Computers evaluate pins with extreme precision. In Kasparov vs. Deep Blue, 1997, Game 2, the machine demonstrated a subtle queen-side pin that even Kasparov underestimated.
Practical Tips for Players
- Create pins by aligning a long-range piece (bishop, rook, queen) with an enemy king or queen.
- Break pins by
- Interposing a piece or pawn,
- Moving the more valuable piece out of the line of fire,
- Counter-attacking a more valuable enemy piece (the “counter-pin”).
- When you have the pinned piece, consider king safety before moving it—even if the move looks legal.
Interesting Facts and Anecdotes
- The word “pin” entered English chess literature in the mid-1800s, borrowed from tailoring: a garment is held in place by a pin until the seam is fixed—mirroring how a chess piece is frozen until the tactic is resolved.
- In blitz chess, experienced players sometimes jokingly announce “Pin Alert!” when spotting a potential pin, highlighting how easy it is to overlook under time pressure.
- The longest known series of consecutive pins in a grandmaster game appears in Karpov – Sosonko, Wijk aan Zee 1974, where eight moves in a row featured newly created or maintained pins on different lines.