Pins in chess: freezing a piece to what stands behind it
A pin happens when a bishop, rook or queen attacks a piece that cannot move because something more valuable sits directly behind it on the same line.
An absolute pin traps a piece in front of its king — moving it would be illegal. A relative pin is voluntary: the piece may move, but doing so loses the queen or rook behind it.
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How to spot it
- Scan every open diagonal, file and rank between your sliders and the enemy king or queen.
- Once a piece is pinned, attack it again — a pinned defender cannot run.
- Pawn moves like h3-g4 or b4-b5 gain material fast against a pinned piece.
Practise this pattern
Play the winning move on a real board in verified pin positions, with hints and worked solutions.
Start the exercisesHow to defend against it
- Interpose a pawn or a minor piece so the pinned piece is no longer the only thing on the line.
- Move the valuable piece behind out of the line, which turns the pin into an ordinary attack.
- Chase the pinning piece away, or offer to exchange it.
Common mistakes
- Piling onto a pinned piece that is defended enough times to hold.
- Leaving a pinned piece as a defender: it is only pretending to guard the square.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a pinned piece still give check?
- A piece pinned absolutely against its own king cannot legally move at all, so it cannot give check. It does still control the squares it attacks for the purpose of the enemy king's moves.
- Is a pinned knight really a defender?
- Usually not. If the knight cannot legally capture, anything it was 'defending' is effectively undefended.