Setting up a skewer: sacrifice (3)
In this lesson we see the forcing moves of checks and captures in action. As in the previous two lessons, material is sacrificed to set up a combination, in this case a skewer.
In Example 1, You prepare a skewer by luring an enemy piece to the same file as another piece. Example 2 deals with eliminating the defense.
What do you have to do?
Sacrifice a piece by capturing with check. This way you can prepare a skewer that wins material.
The black king and queen are on the same row. With forcing play, white can take advantage of this: 1.Rxf7+! This opens up the seventh row and after 1...Kxf7 the distance between king and queen is also increased! Not taking the rook makes little sense, because 2.Rxc7 wins a queen. Therefore after 1...Kxf7 white plays 2.Dxh7+ (again a skewer) and captures the queen on the next move: 2...Ke6 3.Qxc7. See here also the importance of White's forcing play (1.Rxf7+ is capturing with check!). There is no time for a quiet move such as 1.Qxh7 with the idea of capturing on f7 the next move, because then White is mated: 1...Qh2#.
