Lesson 6 of 20 · Tactics · 7 min

Skewers and Pins

Skewers and pins win pieces that look safe, and both appear all the time once lances and bishops are in hand.

Skewer two pieces on one line with a lance or bishop drop.
Recognize a pin: a piece that cannot move without exposing its king.
Win a pinned piece by attacking it with a cheap pawn drop.

A skewer attacks a valuable piece that stands in front of another piece on the same line. When the front piece moves away, the piece behind it falls. In shogi it is called dengaku-zashi, 'skewered tofu'.

The lance is the classic skewering piece: dropped on a file, it pierces through two pieces. The bishop does the same on diagonals.

🔒 2 more cards and 2 more practice positions continue in the app.

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Opponentno pieces in hand

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Practice 1 of 1

Drop the lance to skewer the rook and the gold.

Remember: Skewer: attack the front piece so the one behind falls. Pin: the front piece cannot move without exposing the king—attack it with a pawn.