The Chess Sunday: The most common tactic in beginner games

1 Big Idea: Pin To Win

A pin occurs when a sliding piece — bishop, rook, or queen — attacks an enemy piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it to capture. The attacked piece is "pinned" to the one behind it.
The pin restricts. The pinned piece cannot move without material loss, which means your opponent effectively has one fewer active piece. It’s a loss of activity — a pinned knight can't jump to a strong square, a pinned bishop can't defend the kingside, and a pinned pawn can't advance.

2 Quick Tips

1. A pin only counts if it’s real. Can your opponent break the pin by simply moving the piece behind it, or by capturing your pinning piece?
2. If the pin is real, exploit it. Pile up your queens, rooks, and minor pieces to increase the pressure — win material, or force your opponent to defend while you create a second threat elsewhere.

3 Exercises

Identify the pins in following positions. What should white do to take advantage of them?

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