A skewer is an attack along a line where the more valuable piece is in front and a less valuable piece is behind it. The front piece is under attack and has to move — and when it does, your line piece takes the piece it was shielding. If the front piece is the king, it is in check and must step aside, which is why skewers so often win a rook or queen standing behind a king.
Think of it as a pin turned around. In a pin, the cheap piece in front cannot move because the treasure is behind it. In a skewer, the treasure is in front, it does move, and the cheaper piece behind is what you collect. Rooks and bishops do most skewering; queens can too, though a queen is usually too valuable to park on an open line.
How to spot it
- An enemy king and a rook or queen sharing a rank, file or diagonal, king in front — one check along that line wins what is behind.
- A queen in front of a rook on the same line: attack the queen and the rook behind her cannot be saved as well.
- Endgames with exposed kings: skewer checks along the back rank or a long diagonal are the classic way to win a rook for a bishop.
Using it — and stopping it
Set skewers up by first driving the valuable piece onto the line — often with a check or a capture that forces it to a square in front of its own rook or queen. Defending works the other way: keep your king and heavy pieces off the same line, or keep a defender watching the back piece so the trade is at least equal.
Common mistakes
- Checking the king without noticing what stands behind it. The check is the loud move; the piece behind is the actual prize.
- Putting your queen in front of your rook on an open file against a rook or bishop — the most common skewer shape in real games.
- Moving the front piece to a square that stays on the same line. Step off the line entirely, or the skewer simply repeats.
Every check along a line deserves a second look: what is standing behind the king? Practise the glance on the three boards below.