The pin is a tactic that can only be performed by a line piece: a Bishop, Rook, or Queen. The line piece directly attacks an enemy unit, the pinned piece, who in turn shields or screens a more valuable piece, standing to the rear. These are the three main actors in a pin: the pinning piece, the pinned piece, and the screened piece. Should the pinned piece move off the line, the screened piece then falls to capture, not at all a desirable prospect for the defender.
Occasionally, the screened objective is not a piece at all, but a critical square, an entry point. Again, if the pinned piece moves off the line, the attacking piece enters the critical square, usually with fatal effect to the king.
No comments:
Post a Comment