Pin (or Pins) – Chess Tactics
Pin (or Pins)
Definition
A pin is a tactical motif in which one piece attacks an enemy piece that is positioned on the same line (rank, file, or diagonal) as a more valuable target behind it. Because moving the front piece would expose that more valuable target to capture, the front piece’s mobility is severely restricted or “pinned.” Only long-range pieces—bishop, rook, or queen—can create a pin.
How a Pin Works
- The attacking piece (bishop, rook, or queen) occupies or moves to a line of sight with two opposing pieces.
- The piece in front becomes the pinned piece; the piece behind is the source of the pin (usually the king or a high-value piece such as the queen).
- If the pinned piece moves, the more valuable piece behind it can be captured on the next move.
Types of Pins
- Absolute Pin – The pinned piece shields its own king. Moving it would leave the king in check, which is illegal. Example: A bishop on b4 pins a knight on c3 to the white king on e1 in the Ruy Lopez.
- Relative Pin – The pinned piece protects a piece of lesser value than the king (commonly the queen or rook). Moving is legal but usually losing. Example: A rook on e8 pins a knight on e4 to the queen on e2.
- Partial or Situational Pin – Moving the pinned piece is possible but positionally disastrous (e.g., it allows mate or a decisive fork).
- Cross-Pin – A piece is simultaneously pinned in two directions, often by two different pieces.
- Self-Pin – A player voluntarily places a piece in a pin, typically to gain compensating advantages elsewhere.
Strategic Significance
Pins do more than threaten material—they restrict mobility, create long-term pressure, and can lead to tactical combinations such as:
- Building up attackers on the pinned piece until it collapses (e.g., piling rooks on an e-file).
- Undermining pawn shields—a pinned pawn cannot advance, leaving weaknesses (think of a pinned f7 pawn in many openings).
- Forcing concessions—the defender may have to waste tempi unpinning or exchange material unfavorably.
- Combination motifs: discovered attacks, x-rays, and zwischenzug tactics frequently involve pins.
Classic Examples
1. Morphy – Duke & Count, Paris 1858
In the legendary “Opera Game,” 17… Qb1+ sealed the fate of Black’s rook on a1, which was pinned to its king on e8 and could not escape a decisive rook capture.
2. Lasker – Bauer, Amsterdam 1889
After 17. Bxh7+, Black’s king was dragged into the open; subsequent rook and bishop pins on the g-file forced mate.
3. Fischer – Taimanov, Candidates 1971 (G6)
Fischer’s rook on d7 pinned a knight on f7 to the queen on f8; the mounting pressure eventually decided the game.
Modern Snapshot
Here White’s bishop on g5 pins Black’s knight on e7 to the queen on e7, making 19… Qxg5 impossible because the queen is itself undefended.
Famous Pinning Patterns
- The “Ruy Lopez Pin”: …Bb4 in the Spanish Game.
- Bishop pins knight on f3/f6 followed by pawn storm (e.g., Yugoslav Attack in the Sicilian Dragon).
- Back-rank pins: A rook on e1 pinning a Black piece to an uncastled king on e8.
- Fianchetto pins: A bishop on g7 pinning a knight on f6 to the queen on d8 in various King’s Indian structures.
Defending and Exploiting Pins
- Break the line: interpose a piece or pawn (Be2 in the Ruy Lopez).
- Counter-pin: pin the attacker back; e.g., …Bg4 pinning a knight that was just pinned your own.
- Move the more valuable piece away so the front piece is no longer pinned.
- Strike tactically: sometimes a pinned piece can legally move with devastating effect if the opponent is distracted; this is called an exploitive breakthrough.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- Grandmaster Savielly Tartakower humorously coined the aphorism, “The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake… often by overlooking a pin!”
- In the first Kasparov vs. Deep Blue match (1996), Kasparov deliberately self-pinned a knight in Game 1 to lock the position and outmaneuver the computer strategically—an early example of exploiting the machine’s tactical bias.
- Early chess manuscripts by Gioachino Greco (17th century) feature numerous mating nets based on absolute pins, showing that the idea is nearly as old as modern chess itself.
Related Terms
For additional tactical devices, see fork, skewer, and x-ray.