X-ray puzzles
A piece attacks or defends a square through an enemy piece.
About x-ray puzzles
A piece attacks or defends a square through an enemy piece. The idea is that if the front piece moves or is captured, the line is open.
How to spot it
- Look for your rook, queen or bishop lined up behind an enemy piece or one of your own.
- Count exchanges on the square with the x-ray in mind: the piece behind joins the fight.
- An x-ray defence can make a capture look unsafe when it is not.
A common mistake
Counting only the front piece in an exchange and forgetting the one behind it.
A worked example
R
K
Q
QR
N
N
RR
KWhite to move. Black has just played exf2. Find the best move.
Solution: 30. Qxe8+ Rxe8 31. Rxe8#
Qxe8+ checks the king and also attacks the pawn on f7 and the rook on e4, so your opponent has to answer the check. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: A piece attacks or defends a square through an enemy piece.
The highlighted squares show Black's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1116 rating).
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Questions
What is an x-ray attack?
It is a line of attack that continues through a piece in the way. The attacker is behind a piece, but when that piece is exchanged or moves, the attack is real.
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.