Midgame

Greek Gift

Bxh7+ — drag the king out, then the queen joins.

Greek Gift · as Black

Bxh7+ — drag the king out, then the queen joins. Play the Black pieces.

Yugoslav pawn storm

h4-h5 and g4 — rip open the fianchetto.

Yugoslav pawn storm · as Black

h4-h5 and g4 — rip open the fianchetto. Play the Black pieces.

Lasker's bishops

Bxh7+ then Bxg7 — both bishops strip the king.

Lasker's bishops · as Black

Bxh7+ then Bxg7 — both bishops strip the king. Play the Black pieces.

Windmill

Rxf7+ — discovered checks pick the seventh rank clean.

Windmill · as Black

Rxf7+ — discovered checks pick the seventh rank clean. Play the Black pieces.

Sacrifice on f7

Bxf7+ — rip f7, then fork and take the bishop.

Sacrifice on f7 · as Black

Bxf7+ — rip f7, then fork and take the bishop. Play the Black pieces.

Exchange sac on c3

Rxc3 — give the rook for the knight, then take on c8.

Exchange sac on c3 · as Black

Rxc3 — give the rook for the knight, then take on c8. Play the Black pieces.

Rook lift

Rh3 — swing the rook over, then crash through on h5.

Rook lift · as Black

Rh3 — swing the rook over, then crash through on h5. Play the Black pieces.

King hunt

Qe6+ — chase the king to the corner and mate.

King hunt · as Black

Qe6+ — chase the king to the corner and mate. Play the Black pieces.

Pin

Bxc6+ — the knight is pinned, then the queen falls.

Pin · as Black

Bxc6+ — the knight is pinned, then the queen falls. Play the Black pieces.

File pin

Nd4 — the queen is pinned to the king and cannot run off the file.

File pin · as Black

Nd4 — the queen is pinned to the king and cannot run off the file. Play the Black pieces.

Relative pin

Bxf6 — the knight is pinned to the queen, so taking it wrecks the kingside or wins a tempo.

Relative pin · as Black

Bxf6 — the knight is pinned to the queen, so taking it wrecks the kingside or wins a tempo. Play the Black pieces.

Skewer

Rh8+ — the king steps aside and the queen is behind it.

Skewer · as Black

Rh8+ — the king steps aside and the queen is behind it. Play the Black pieces.

Discovered check

Nc7+ — the knight hops and the bishop checks through.

Discovered check · as Black

Nc7+ — the knight hops and the bishop checks through. Play the Black pieces.

Queen fork

Qa4+ — check the king and take the rook.

Queen fork · as Black

Qa4+ — check the king and take the rook. Play the Black pieces.

Pawn fork

d4 — the pawn hits knight and queen together.

Pawn fork · as Black

d4 — the pawn hits knight and queen together. Play the Black pieces.

Decoy

Qxf7+ — lure the rook off the back rank, then take it.

Decoy · as Black

Qxf7+ — lure the rook off the back rank, then take it. Play the Black pieces.

Remove the guard

Bxc6+ — take the knight that defends the queen.

Remove the guard · as Black

Bxc6+ — take the knight that defends the queen. Play the Black pieces.

Zwischenzug

Nf6+ — check first, then take the bishop.

Zwischenzug · as Black

Nf6+ — check first, then take the bishop. Play the Black pieces.

Double check

Nf7+ — knight and bishop check together, then take the rook.

Double check · as Black

Nf7+ — knight and bishop check together, then take the rook. Play the Black pieces.

Trapped piece

f4 — kick the knight, then take it when it has no square.

Trapped piece · as Black

f4 — kick the knight, then take it when it has no square. Play the Black pieces.

Rook fork

Rc8+ — check the king and take the knight.

Rook fork · as Black

Rc8+ — check the king and take the knight. Play the Black pieces.

Royal fork

Nf6+ — knight check hits king and queen together.

Royal fork · as Black

Nf6+ — knight check hits king and queen together. Play the Black pieces.

Knight fork · rook

Nf6+ — check the king and pick up the rook.

Knight fork · rook · as Black

Nf6+ — check the king and pick up the rook. Play the Black pieces.

Queen skewer

Qh8+ — the king steps aside and the rook is behind it.

Queen skewer · as Black

Qh8+ — the king steps aside and the rook is behind it. Play the Black pieces.

Rook skewer

Rh8+ — the king steps aside and the other rook hangs.

Rook skewer · as Black

Rh8+ — the king steps aside and the other rook hangs. Play the Black pieces.

Discovered pawn

exd5+ — the pawn takes the queen and the rook checks through.

Discovered pawn · as Black

exd5+ — the pawn takes the queen and the rook checks through. Play the Black pieces.

Back rank mate

The rook takes the eighth rank while the king is boxed in.

Back rank mate · as Black

The rook takes the eighth rank while the king is boxed in. Play the Black pieces.

Smothered mate

Qg8+ — the rook takes, then the knight mates in the corner.

Smothered mate · as Black

Qg8+ — the rook takes, then the knight mates in the corner. Play the Black pieces.

Anastasia's mate

Rh8+ — pull the king into the corner, then mate on the h-file.

Anastasia's mate · as Black

Rh8+ — pull the king into the corner, then mate on the h-file. Play the Black pieces.

Opera mate

Ra8# — the bishop takes d7, the rook owns the back rank.

Opera mate · as Black

Ra8# — the bishop takes d7, the rook owns the back rank. Play the Black pieces.

Legal's mate

Nxe5 — leave the queen, then mate with bishop and knight.

Legal's mate · as Black

Nxe5 — leave the queen, then mate with bishop and knight. Play the Black pieces.

Boden's mate

Ba6# — the bishops cross on the king's diagonals.

Boden's mate · as Black

Ba6# — the bishops cross on the king's diagonals. Play the Black pieces.

Arabian mate

Rh7# — knight covers g8 and g6, rook mates on the seventh.

Arabian mate · as Black

Rh7# — knight covers g8 and g6, rook mates on the seventh. Play the Black pieces.

Epaulette mate

Qe6# — the king is pinned between his own rooks.

Epaulette mate · as Black

Qe6# — the king is pinned between his own rooks. Play the Black pieces.

Swallow's tail

Qd7# — the queen sits protected in front of the king.

Swallow's tail · as Black

Qd7# — the queen sits protected in front of the king. Play the Black pieces.

Damiano's mate

Rh8+ — sac the rook, then the queen mates on h7.

Damiano's mate · as Black

Rh8+ — sac the rook, then the queen mates on h7. Play the Black pieces.

Hook mate

Rh7# — knight and pawn hook the corner, rook mates.

Hook mate · as Black

Rh7# — knight and pawn hook the corner, rook mates. Play the Black pieces.

Dovetail mate

Qe4# — the queen sits flush against the king.

Dovetail mate · as Black

Qe4# — the queen sits flush against the king. Play the Black pieces.

Blind swine

Rb8# — doubled rooks on the seventh take the back rank.

Blind swine · as Black

Rb8# — doubled rooks on the seventh take the back rank. Play the Black pieces.

Pillsbury mate

Rg8# — bishop covers the escape, rook mates in the corner.

Pillsbury mate · as Black

Rg8# — bishop covers the escape, rook mates in the corner. Play the Black pieces.

Morphy mate

Rxg7+ — rip the g-pawn, then mate on g8.

Morphy mate · as Black

Rxg7+ — rip the g-pawn, then mate on g8. Play the Black pieces.

Greco mate

Rh8# — bishop and knight cover, rook mates on the h-file.

Greco mate · as Black

Rh8# — bishop and knight cover, rook mates on the h-file. Play the Black pieces.

Anderssen mate

Rh8# — the pawn on g7 covers, the rook mates on h8.

Anderssen mate · as Black

Rh8# — the pawn on g7 covers, the rook mates on h8. Play the Black pieces.

Mayet mate

Rh8# — bishop and pawn cut the center, rook takes the back rank.

Mayet mate · as Black

Rh8# — bishop and pawn cut the center, rook takes the back rank. Play the Black pieces.

Lolli's mate

Qh6 then Qg7# — the f6 pawn wedges the kingside.

Lolli's mate · as Black

Qh6 then Qg7# — the f6 pawn wedges the kingside. Play the Black pieces.

Corner mate

Ra7# — the knight covers b8 and a5, rook mates on the seventh.

Corner mate · as Black

Ra7# — the knight covers b8 and a5, rook mates on the seventh. Play the Black pieces.

Minority attack

b5 — crack the queenside pawn chain in a Carlsbad structure.

Minority attack · as Black

b5 — crack the queenside pawn chain in a Carlsbad structure. Play the Black pieces.

IQP attack

Ne5 — use the isolated d-pawn as a spear, not a weakness.

IQP attack · as Black

Ne5 — use the isolated d-pawn as a spear, not a weakness. Play the Black pieces.

Hanging pawns

d5 — push the pair and open lines for the pieces.

Hanging pawns · as Black

d5 — push the pair and open lines for the pieces. Play the Black pieces.

Maróczy bind

c4 and e4 — clamp d5 so the Sicilian break never comes easy.

Maróczy bind · as Black

c4 and e4 — clamp d5 so the Sicilian break never comes easy. Play the Black pieces.

Hedgehog

e5 — crack the hedgehog before it uncoils.

Hedgehog · as Black

e5 — crack the hedgehog before it uncoils. Play the Black pieces.

Stonewall

e5 — wedge the center, then the queen hits h6.

Stonewall · as Black

e5 — wedge the center, then the queen hits h6. Play the Black pieces.

French chain

Bxh7+ — the chain points at the king, then the Greek Gift lands.

French chain · as Black

Bxh7+ — the chain points at the king, then the Greek Gift lands. Play the Black pieces.

Doubled pawns

Nxc6 — sit on the weak pawn and take it.

Doubled pawns · as Black

Nxc6 — sit on the weak pawn and take it. Play the Black pieces.

Backward pawn

Qxd6 — trade on c6 and take the backward d-pawn.

Backward pawn · as Black

Qxd6 — trade on c6 and take the backward d-pawn. Play the Black pieces.

Outpost

Ne5 — plant the knight, then take on d5.

Outpost · as Black

Ne5 — plant the knight, then take on d5. Play the Black pieces.

Good bishop

Bd6 — the bishop owns the dark squares, then takes the rook.

Good bishop · as Black

Bd6 — the bishop owns the dark squares, then takes the rook. Play the Black pieces.

Opposite bishops attack

Qh5 — the queens stay on, so the bishop attack decides.

Opposite bishops attack · as Black

Qh5 — the queens stay on, so the bishop attack decides. Play the Black pieces.