The pin is a powerful chess tactic that restricts your opponent's options and unlocks winning opportunities.
When an attacking piece puts pressure on a defending piece, pinning it to a more valuable piece behind it, the defender faces a dilemma: move and expose the valuable piece, or stay put and remain limited. Pins can win material, deliver checkmate, or simply disrupt your opponent's plans.
Let's delve into the world of pins and explore the resources that will turn you into a pin-pointing pro!
BOOKS (Free)
- The Pin - 7 page PDF -English Chess Federation
- PIN and WIN - 2 Page PDF- WorkSheet
Pin Chess Articles
- The Pin - Nice Article on Chess Trainer Blog
- Typical Patterns Everyone Should Know : Pin, unpin... - Nice Chess.com Article
- Pin Tactics - Chess Fox Guide (Very In-Depth Guide)
- The Pin Tactic in Chess Explained by a Grandmaster [For Beginners] - LiChess Blog Post (Chessmood )
LiChess Pin Studies
LiChess offers a wealth of interactive studies designed to sharpen your pin tactic skills. Here's a curated selection to elevate your chess game:
- The Pin - LiChess Tactic Practice Area - 8 Problems
- Pin tactics patterns exercises - 25 Chapter Study - Many different styles of Pin Exercises mostly all Mates.
Interactive Studies
- PINS (Absolute + Relative): LESSON - 25 Chapter Interactive Study - 6 lessons on absolute and relative pins w/ 18 interactive puzzles.
- PINS! 📌 - 10 Chapter Interactive Study (Guide on Pins)
- Pins - 11 Chapter Interactive Study (Nice Lesson)
- Piling on the pin - 11 Chapter Interactive Study
New to Lichess studies? These interactive tools allow you to explore chess concepts and variations move-by-move, perfect for testing your understanding and deepening your knowledge.
Pin Puzzles
Test your pin-solving skills with a variety of puzzles designed to challenge your ability to identify and exploit pin tactics.
Expert Chess Strategies
- 10 Chess Problems - Defend Against the Pin
- 10 Chess Problems - Pinning Chess Pieces
LiChess Puzzle Themes
- LiChess Pin Puzzles - 220,000+ Puzzles - Explore a vast library of puzzles on Lichess to hone your pin-solving skills.
PIN Video Lessons
Secrets of Chess Tactics | Chess Pins | Stunningly beautiful secrets revealed - 17 Min - kingscrusher goes over the Pin chess tactic with numerous pinning examples
2 MOST Important Chess Tactics You Should Know | Tactics Training - 15 Min GM Smirnov - Pins and Forks - He starts from simple positions and gradually increases the complexity, going for more advanced level chess tactics.
The 4 most important Pins in Chess | Chess Tactics | IM Alex Astaneh - 24 Min - Based on practical examples, you will get a basic understanding of the absolute pin, the relative pin, the situational pin and the partial pin.
The Power of the Pin - Beginner to Chess Master #14 - 37 Min - Discussed is what makes a pin so powerful in a chess game.
How To Deal With Pins On Your Knights - 19 Min NM Lopez - Practical advice on what to do when your knight gets pinned by a bishop.
ST Louis Chess Club
- Pins! | Chess for Beginners - WGM Jennifer Shahade - 33 Min
- Pins: Absolutely No Way to Move | Tactics Time! - 27 Min - NM Jim McLaughlin - National Master Jim McLaughlin introduces pins to the beginner class. See if you can find out how to "pin it to win it."
- Create and Utilize Pins | Beginner Breakdown - NM Ralph Tan - 59 Min - Maybe you can spot a pin in a puzzle, but how do you set up a pin in a real game? 8 Game Examples (New - 5/29/24)
- Absolute & Relative Pins | Kids' Class - GM Ben Finegold - 33 Min Video Below
The Power of the Pin - 9 Min Video
Chess Puzzle Nasty Pin - 2 min Video
The 5 Most Amazing Pins in Chess - 10 Min GM Simon Williams