Pin
A powerful tactic that restricts an enemy piece from moving because it shields a more valuable piece behind it.
Published 2026-02-01 | Last verified 2026-02-12
Professor Archer says: I like to describe the pin to my students using a metaphor from everyday life: imagine a bodyguard standing in front of a VIP. The bodyguard cannot step aside because doing so would expose the person they are protecting. That is exactly what happens in a pin — one piece is frozen in place, forced to stand guard for a more valuable piece behind it. Once you grasp this image, you will see pins everywhere on the board.
How Pins Work
A pin is one of the three great line tactics in chess, alongside the skewer and the discovered attack. It occurs when a long-range piece (bishop, rook, or queen) attacks an enemy piece that cannot move out of the way because a more valuable piece stands directly behind it on the same line.
Here is how to visualize it. Imagine a bishop aiming along a diagonal at an enemy knight. Directly behind that knight, on the same diagonal, sits the enemy queen. The knight is pinned: if it moves, the bishop captures the queen. The knight is not literally prevented from moving (unless the piece behind it is the king), but moving it would be disastrous.
Pins work along three types of lines: diagonals (for bishops and queens), ranks (for rooks and queens), and files (for rooks and queens). The key ingredient is always the same: there must be a straight, unobstructed line connecting the pinning piece, the pinned piece, and the more valuable piece behind it.
Only line pieces can create pins. A knight cannot pin because it does not attack in straight lines. A pawn cannot pin either. This means that bishops, rooks, and queens are the only pinning pieces in chess, and understanding how they work along lines is essential to both creating and defending against pins.
A Pin in Action
Let us examine a typical pin that arises frequently in real games. In many openings, after White develops the bishop to b5 or g5, it creates a pin against an enemy piece.
Consider a scenario where White's bishop on g5 pins Black's knight on f6 against the queen on d8. The knight on f6 is a key defender in many opening positions — it controls the center and protects important squares. But when it is pinned, it becomes a liability. It cannot move without losing the queen, which means it is effectively paralyzed.
White can exploit this pin in several ways. The most direct approach is to add more attackers to the pinned piece. If White plays Nd5, now the knight on f6 is attacked by both the bishop and the knight. Since the pinned piece cannot flee, Black must find another defender or accept material loss.
Another common technique is to advance a pawn to attack the pinned piece. If a pawn can threaten the pinned knight, the pressure becomes unbearable because the pinned piece has no escape.
The position shown illustrates a typical setup where pin opportunities naturally arise from standard development. Recognizing these patterns early is the first step toward using pins in your own games.
White's bishop on g5 pins the knight on f6 to the queen on d8. The knight cannot move without losing the queen.
Absolute Pins vs. Relative Pins
Not all pins are created equal. Chess distinguishes between two important types: absolute pins and relative pins. Understanding the difference is crucial for knowing how to respond.
An absolute pin involves the king. When a piece is pinned against the king, it is literally illegal to move that piece — the rules of chess forbid you from making any move that leaves your own king in check. If a bishop pins your knight against your king, your knight is frozen by the rules themselves. There is no choice involved.
A relative pin involves any valuable piece other than the king. When your knight is pinned against your queen, you technically can move the knight. It is a legal move. But doing so would lose your queen, so in practical terms, the knight is nearly as frozen as in an absolute pin. The word "relative" here means the pin's strength depends on the relative values of the pieces involved.
Here is where things get interesting: sometimes, breaking a relative pin is the right move. If moving the pinned piece creates a greater threat — say, checkmate — then losing the queen behind it is acceptable. This is why relative pins require more careful calculation than absolute pins. With an absolute pin, the piece simply cannot move. With a relative pin, the question is always: is there something even better waiting if I break the pin?
Common Questions About Pins
Can a knight create a pin?
No. Only pieces that move in straight lines can create pins: bishops, rooks, and queens. Since a knight moves in an L-shape and does not attack along a continuous line, it cannot pin any piece.
How do I escape a pin?
There are several ways: move the valuable piece behind the pinned piece to break the alignment, block the pin by interposing another piece, capture the pinning piece, or in the case of a bishop pin, sometimes advancing a pawn to chase the bishop away works well.
Can a pinned piece still give check?
A piece in an absolute pin (pinned against the king) cannot move at all, so it cannot give check. A piece in a relative pin can technically move and give check, but doing so would expose the valuable piece behind it.
Professor Archer says: In my experience, learning to exploit pins separates casual players from serious ones. A pinned piece is a restricted piece, and restriction is the foundation of positional chess. When your opponent has a pinned piece, take your time. Build pressure. Add more attackers to the pinned piece. There is no rush — it cannot run away.
Quick Quiz
A White bishop on g5 is pinning a Black knight on f6 against the Black queen on d8. What is this type of pin called?
- An absolute pin - An absolute pin is when the piece is pinned against the king, making it illegal to move. Here, the knight is pinned against the queen, not the king.
- A relative pin (Correct) - Correct. When a piece is pinned against any piece other than the king, it is a relative pin. The knight can legally move, but doing so would lose the queen.
- A discovered pin - There is no standard concept called a "discovered pin" in chess terminology. You may be thinking of a discovered attack, which is a different tactic.
- A double pin - A double pin would involve two separate pins in the same position. This single pin on the knight is simply called a relative pin.