Chess Learning | Path | Back to lesson |

Worksheet: Pins

Topic: middlegame | Level: 2 | Week 5

A pin locks a piece in place because moving it would expose a more valuable piece (often the king) behind it.

Why This Matters

  • A pin happens when a bishop, rook, or queen attacks a piece that is standing in front of a more valuable piece.
  • An "absolute" pin is against the king - the pinned piece legally cannot move at all.
  • Pinned pieces make great targets: pile up more attackers on them since they often cannot run away.

Objectives

  • Define what a pin is and why a pinned piece cannot move freely.
  • Recognize pins along files, ranks, and diagonals.
  • Find moves that create or exploit a pin.

Practice Tasks

  1. Explain why a pinned piece is often "frozen" even if it looks like it can move.
  2. In the mini-game position, name a piece that could become pinned.
  3. Solve the 3 pin puzzles and write down which piece is pinned in each one.

Board Walkthrough

Follow the lesson one board at a time. The teacher answer key includes the move list.

Board 1
Board 2
Board 3
Board 4
Board 5
Board 6
Board 7
Board 8
Board 9

Practice Positions

Solve each position on paper first. Answers live only in the separate teacher/parent key.

Practice 1

White to move. Black's knight can't legally move — find the way to win it.

Practice 2

White to move. Black's bishop on f6 is stuck — take it.

Practice 3

White to move. Black's rook on e8 can't move without exposing the king — capture it.

Mini-Game

Play this position with a partner. Look for any bishop or rook move that would pin an enemy piece to its king or queen.

Answer Key

Pins

Teacher/parent key for Worksheet: Pins.

Worksheet Answers

  1. Prompt: Explain why a pinned piece is often "frozen" even if it looks like it can move.

    If the pinned piece moves, it would expose the king to check, which is illegal - or it would lose a bigger piece behind it.

  2. Prompt: In the mini-game position, name a piece that could become pinned.

    Answers will vary based on the position reached.

  3. Prompt: Solve the 3 pin puzzles and write down which piece is pinned in each one.

    See practice positions above for each puzzle's solution move.

Model Line

  1. e4
  2. e5
  3. Nf3
  4. Nc6
  5. Bb5
  6. d6
  7. d4
  8. Bd7

Practice Position Solutions

Pins — Practice 1

White to move. Black's knight can't legally move — find the way to win it.

Solution: Qxa5+

The knight on a5 is pinned to the king by the white rook on a1 along the a-file — it is not allowed to move at all. The white queen simply captures it along the 5th rank with Qxa5+.

Pins — Practice 2

White to move. Black's bishop on f6 is stuck — take it.

Solution: gxf6

The white bishop on b2 pins the black bishop on f6 to the king on h8 along the long diagonal, so the black bishop cannot move away. The pawn on g5 simply captures it with gxf6.

Pins — Practice 3

White to move. Black's rook on e8 can't move without exposing the king — capture it.

Solution: Rexe8+

The rook on e8 is pinned along the 8th rank by White's rook on a8 — if it moved, the king on g8 would be in check. The other white rook, on e1, simply captures it along the e-file with check.