Chess Tactics Flashcards
6 cards from real Chess practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Chess Tactics flashcards as text
What is a 'clearance sacrifice'?
Answer: Sacrificing a piece to clear a square or line for another piece
A clearance sacrifice removes a piece from a square or line so that another more powerful piece can use that square or file effectively.
In chess, what is 'zugzwang'?
Answer: A position where any move a player makes worsens their situation
Zugzwang (German for 'compulsion to move') is a situation where a player would prefer to pass but must move, and any move made worsens their position.
What is an 'interference' tactic?
Answer: Placing a piece between two enemy pieces to cut off their coordination
An interference tactic involves placing a piece between two enemy pieces that protect each other, disrupting their coordination and allowing a winning combination.
What is a 'battery' in chess?
Answer: Two or more pieces of the same type aligned on the same file, rank, or diagonal
A battery is a lineup of two pieces of the same type (rooks or bishops) or a queen paired with a rook or bishop on the same line to maximize attacking power.
What is the 'x-ray' or 'x-ray attack' tactic?
Answer: A piece attacks through an enemy piece to a square behind it
An x-ray attack occurs when a piece exerts influence through an enemy piece, such as a rook behind a queen attacking the queen because capturing the rook would lose the queen.
What is a 'desperado' piece in chess?
Answer: A piece that is going to be captured and makes a final attack to gain compensation
A desperado piece is a piece that will inevitably be captured, so rather than defending it, you use it to capture as much material as possible before it is taken.