Pin
"A tactic where a defending piece is restricted from moving because doing so would expose a more valuable piece to capture."
Interactive Demonstration
Visualizing the Concept
Use the interactive board to explore this position. Understanding Pin is much easier when you can visualize the pieces in action.
4r1k1/5ppp/8/8/8/8/4R1PP/6K1 w - - 0 1In-Depth Explanation
A pin happens when an attacking piece is aiming at an opponent's piece, and if that piece moves, a more valuable piece behind it would be captured. There are two types: Absolute Pin (where the piece behind is the King, and the pinned piece cannot legally move) and Relative Pin (where the piece behind is valuable, like a Queen, but the move is technically legal).
Recommended Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Only long-range pieces – bishops, rooks and queens – can create pins because a pin requires a straight or diagonal line through two pieces.
In an absolute pin, the piece behind is the king, so the pinned piece legally cannot move. In a relative pin, the piece behind is merely valuable (usually the queen), so the move is legal but costly.
Common ways include blocking with another piece, capturing the pinning attacker, moving the king out of the line, or overprotecting the piece behind so the pin loses its point.
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