Skewer in chess
A pin turned around: the valuable piece is in front, it must move, and the piece behind it falls.
A skewer is an attack by a bishop, rook or queen on a valuable piece along a line. That piece has to move out of the way, and the less valuable piece behind it can then be captured.
Skewer versus pin
Both are line attacks on two pieces at once. The difference is the order. In a pin, the valuable piece is behind, so the front piece is frozen. In a skewer, the valuable piece is in front, so it must move and the piece behind is captured.
A skewer that gives check is the most forcing kind, because the king has to get out of check before anything else. Unless the check can be blocked or the skewering piece captured, the king steps aside and the attacker takes the piece behind it.
Where skewers happen
- Endgames. With the board open and the kings exposed, a check along a file, rank or diagonal often skewers the king and the piece behind it. In rook endgames, a check that skewers the king and the rook behind it can decide the game.
- After a king is forced onto a line. Give a check that drives the king onto the same file or rank as its own rook, then check along that line to skewer them.
- Along long diagonals. Two heavy pieces on the same diagonal are a bishop's invitation.
In endgames, look at every check you can give. If one drives the enemy king onto the same line as its own rook, a skewer can win the rook, and that usually decides the game.
Avoiding skewers
- Do not leave your king on the same open line as your queen or a rook if an enemy piece can attack along that line.
- In queen endgames, keep your king near your own pawns, where they shelter it from checks. A bare king on an open board is easy to skewer.
- Before you move your king, especially out of check, see whether its new square lines it up with your queen or a rook.
Practice the skewer
Reading about a pattern is not the same as spotting it under time pressure. The free chess puzzles trainer serves rated positions from real games and adjusts to your level as you solve. When you get one wrong, press Analyze once the puzzle is over to open it on the analysis board and see what you missed.
Related tactics
Pin
A pinned piece cannot move without exposing something more valuable behind it, so it can no longer be trusted as a defender.
Fork
One piece, two targets. On Lichess, more puzzles turn on the fork than on any other motif, over twice as many as on the pin. It is the first tactic worth mastering.
Discovered attack
Move one piece and a different piece behind it makes the threat. The piece that moved can make a threat of its own, so one move often creates two attacks.
Frequently asked questions
What is a skewer in chess?
A line attack that hits a valuable piece and wins the piece behind it once the front piece moves away. It is sometimes called a "reverse pin" or an "X-ray attack".
Is a skewer better than a pin?
A skewer usually wins material at once, while a pin creates a lasting weakness you still have to exploit, so the skewer is the more forcing of the two. Pins come up more often, though. Lichess has about 389,000 pin puzzles and about 144,000 skewer puzzles.