8 Essential Tactics Every Beginner Must Know

Tactics are combinations that lead to an immediate advantage: winning material, delivering a check, or forcing mate.

Most beginner games are not decided by deep strategy. They are decided by missed tactics and failure to capture free pieces.

If you can recognize a handful of common tactical ideas, you will start converting opportunities.

Below are the 8 most common chess tactics for beginners:

1. Fork

   A single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces at the same time.

   
   

   A fork involving the king (absolute fork) is especially powerful, because the opponent must respond to the check. A fork attacking two or more pieces is a relative fork.

   
   

   Every piece in the game can fork other pieces or pawns. Even the king can fork.

   
   

   The examples below are interactive, as you can press the forward and backward arrow keys or click the arrows at the bottom.

Absolute Fork:

Relative Fork:

2. Pin

   A piece is unable to move because doing so would expose a more valuable piece behind it.

   
   

   When the king is behind the pinned piece, it is called an absolute pin.

   
   

   When another piece is behind it, the pin is relative.

   
   

   Both restrict your opponent’s options and make pieces easier to win for free.

Absolute pin:

Relative pin:

3. Skewer

   The reverse of a pin: a valuable piece stands in front of a less valuable piece and is attacked.

   
   

   When it moves, the piece behind it is captured.

   
   

   An absolute skewer is when the king is in front of another piece.

   
   

   A relative skewer is when a more valuable piece is in front of a less valuable piece.

Absolute skewer:

Relative skewer:

4. Discovered Attack & Check

   Moving one piece reveals an attack by another piece.

   
   

   If the discovered attack comes with a threat or a check, it becomes more powerful.

   
   

   Discovered Attack:

Discovered Check:

5. Double Check

   Two pieces simultaneously check the opposing king.

   
   

   Unlike normal checks, double checks cannot be blocked or captured.
   

   The only legal response is to move the king, which often leads to decisive outcomes.

6. Removing the Defender

   Capture or eliminate a piece that is protecting another piece.

   
   

   Once the defender is gone, the target piece becomes vulnerable.

7. Deflection

   Force an opponent’s piece to leave its defensive duty by luring it away.

   
   

   Once the defensive piece is deflected away, the vulnerable piece can be captured for free.

8. Zwischenzug (In‑Between Move)

   Zwischenzugs are most common during exchanges and recaptures.

   
   

   Instead of immediately recapturing, you insert a check, threat, or tactical shot that changes the situation.

   
   

   This often catches opponents off guard and flips the evaluation of the position.

Training Suggestions:

• Solve puzzles daily and identify each tactical motif.

• Review your games and note missed tactical chances and the type of motif.

Tactics are patterns.

The more often you see them in puzzles, the faster you recognize patterns in real games.

"Chess is 99% Tactics" -Richard Teichmann