Discovered attacks

How to spot it

A discovered attack happens when one of your pieces moves out of the way and uncovers an attack by the piece standing behind it. You make two threats with one move: whatever the moving piece does, plus the attack of the piece behind it.

To spot one, look along your own lines: a bishop, rook or queen whose path to an enemy piece is blocked by one of your own pieces. That front piece is a loaded gun. Move it with a threat of its own, ideally a capture or a check, so your opponent cannot deal with both.

A discovered check is the strongest version: the revealed piece gives check, so the moving piece is free to go anywhere and take anything. A double check, where both pieces give check, can only be answered by a king move, and often ends in mate.

Watch your opponent’s lines as well. A king or queen standing on a line with an enemy piece and a single blocker in between is always in danger.

Puzzles

11 puzzles, rated 700 to 1850. A wrong move shows the engine’s refutation, and a missed puzzle comes back for review.