Skewer

How This Tactic Works

A skewer is the reverse of a pin. The attacker targets a high-value piece directly; when that piece moves to escape, it exposes a less valuable piece behind it to capture. Skewers are most commonly executed with bishops, rooks, or queens. A typical example is a rook check on the enemy king — the king must move, exposing a rook or queen behind it to capture. Skewers frequently appear in endgames and are a powerful weapon for winning material in simplified positions.

How to Spot It

• →The enemy king (or queen) stands in front of another piece on the same rank, file, or diagonal
• →You have a long-range piece (rook, bishop, queen) that can attack the front piece
• →The front piece must move to escape check or threat, surrendering what was behind it

Practice Tips

• →After each game, review positions where a Skewer was possible — either you played it, your opponent played it, or it was missed by both sides.
• →Focus on the key signal: The enemy king (or queen) stands in front of another piece on the same rank, file, or diagonal. Train your pattern recognition until you see this automatically.
• →Upload your games to chess.rodeo for free Stockfish analysis — it will highlight exactly where tactical opportunities were missed in your games.

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