Skewer puzzles
A skewer attacks a valuable piece so that it must move, and then wins the piece behind it.
About skewer puzzles
A skewer attacks a valuable piece so that it must move, and then wins the piece behind it. It is a pin in reverse.
How to spot it
- Look for a king or queen on the same line as a rook or bishop of yours with another piece behind it.
- Check with a long-range piece along a file or diagonal. When the king steps aside, capture what stood behind.
- Rooks on open files and bishops on long diagonals do most of the skewering.
A common mistake
Mixing it up with a pin. In a skewer the valuable piece is in front and has to move.
A worked example
N
R
K
B
BN
NNB
KBlack to move. White has just played Ne1. Find the best move.
Solution: 26... Ba4+ 27. Kc3 Bxd1
Ba4+ checks the king, so your opponent has to answer the check. The idea: A skewer attacks a valuable piece so that it must move, and then wins the piece behind it.
The highlighted squares show White's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1225 rating).
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Questions
When should I look for a skewer?
Whenever an enemy king or queen sits on an open file, rank or diagonal with another piece behind it.
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.