Discovered attack puzzles
You move a piece that was blocking your bishop, rook or queen, and the unblocked piece attacks something.
About discovered attack puzzles
You move a piece that was blocking your bishop, rook or queen, and the unblocked piece attacks something. The moving piece can make a threat of its own at the same time.
How to spot it
- Look for your own piece standing between a long-range piece and an enemy target.
- Move the blocker with a threat of its own: a check, a capture or a mate threat.
- A discovered check is the strongest version, because the opponent must answer the check first.
A common mistake
Moving the blocker to a square where it can simply be captured. It needs its own threat.
A worked example
R
K
Q
Q
R
KWhite to move. Black has just played gxf6. Find the best move.
Solution: 31. Qg3+ Kf8 32. Rxe6
Qg3+ checks the king, so your opponent has to answer the check. The idea: You move a piece that was blocking your bishop, rook or queen, and the unblocked piece attacks something.
The highlighted squares show Black's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1245 rating).
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Questions
What makes a discovered attack so strong?
Two things happen at once, so the opponent often cannot answer both. With a discovered check the moving piece can capture or attack for free.
Where do these puzzles come from?
They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.
Are the puzzles free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.