Discovered attacks

Discovered attacks require two of you pieces cooperating. The one at the front steps aside, opening the way for the piece behind it to threaten an enemy piece. This tactic makes it possible to threaten two pieces at once. It’s up to your opponent to try and defend them in one move. More often than not, this will not be possible and you can win material.

In the example, the rook threatens Black’s queen, but it is hidden behind the white bishop. When this bishop takes the black bishop, Black’s king can’t recover the bishop. Black’s top-priority right now is to safe his queen, that is now openly attacked.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I have a piece hiding behind another piece that might attack an enemy piece?
• What enemy piece might I threaten with the hidden piece?
• Can I use the front piece to attack any of my opponent’s pieces?

What do you have to do?
Use a discovered attack to win material.