Upon the pin

Pins are one of the first attacking ideas you learn about. Here's some colourful examples you might not have seen before. Try and find good examples of forks, skewers, discoveries and so on.

The pin

from Lombardy, 19??

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 Qc7 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Nf3 g6 9. O-O Bg7 10. Qe1 e6 11. Kh1 O-O 12. Qh4 b5 13. f5 Qe7 14. Bg5

 

t+l+-Tj+
+-+-DxLx
x+sXxSx+
+x+-+pB-
-+-+p+-Q
+-Nb+n+-
pPp+-+pP
R-+-+r+k
14... b4

[14... Ne5]

15. e5 1-0

  if 15... Nxe5 16. Nxe5 DIAGRAM

 

 

t+l+-Tj+
+-+-DxLx
x+-XxSx+
+-+-NpB-
-X-+-+-Q
+-Nb+-+-
pPp+-+pP
R-+-+r+k
16... dxe5

[16... bxc3 17. Ng4]

  17. Ne4 wins

 

Pin - and design for mateFrom Lombardy, 19??

1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. exd5 Nxd5 4. Nge2 Nc6 5. g3 Bg4 6. Bg2 Nd4

 

t+-DjL-T
XxX-XxXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+s+-+-
-+-S-+l+
+-N-+-P-
pPpPnPbP
R-BqK-+r
7. Bxd5

[7. f3]

7... Qxd5

 

 

t+-+jL-T
XxX-XxXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+d+-+-
-+-S-+l+
+-N-+-P-
pPpPnP-P
R-BqK-+r
8. f3 Qxf3 9. Rf1 Qg2 0-1

[8. Nxd5 Nf3+ 9. Kf1 Bh3#]

[8. O-O Nf3+ 9. Kh1 Ng5+ DIAGRAM 10. Nxd5 Bf3+ 11. Kg1 Nh3#]

 

t+-+jL-T
XxX-XxXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+d+-S-
-+-+-+l+
+-N-+-P-
pPpPnP-P
R-Bq+r+k

Pins and counter-pins

Robatsch-Jansa, Sochi, 1974

1. c4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. b3 Bg7 5. Bb2 O-O 6. Bg2 d6 7. d4 c6 8. O-O Kh8

[8... Qc7]

  9. d5 Qa5 10. Nc3 Nxd5??

 

tSl+-T-J
Xx+-X-Lx
-+xX-+x+
D-+s+x+-
-+p+-+-+
+pN-+nP-
pB-+pPbP
R-+q+rK-
11. cxd5 Bxc3 12. Qd2 Qxd5 13. Qxc3+ e5 14. Nxe5 1-0

 

The double pin

Alekhin - Nimzovitch, San Remo, 1930

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. Bd2 Ne7 6. Nb5 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 O-O 8. c3 b6 9. f4 Ba6 10. Nf3 Qd7 11. a4 Nbc6 12. b4

 

t+-+-Tj+
X-+dSxXx
lXs+x+-+
+nXxP-+-
pP-P-P-+
+-P-+n+-
-+-Q-+pP
R-+-Kb+r
12... cxb4

[12... c4 13. Na3 Nd8 14. Nc2 when White is free to belt down the King's side]

13. cxb4 Bb7 14. Nd6 f5 15. a5 Nc8 16. Nxb7 Qxb7 17. a6 Qf7

[17... Qe7 18. Bb5 Nd8 [18... Nxb4 19. Rb1]]

18. Bb5 N8e7 19. O-O h6 20. Rfc1 Rfc8 21. Rc2

 

t+t+-+j+
X-+-SdX-
pXs+x+-X
+b+xPx+-
-P-P-P-+
+-+-+n+-
-+rQ-+pP
R-+-+-K-
21... Qe8

  hoping to make a stand on c6, but enters the worst pin in the world

[21... Nd8 22. Rac1 Rxc2 23. Rxc2 Rc8 24. Bd7 Rxc2 25. Qxc2 concedes the c-file, when the Q can't be kept put for long]

 

 

t+t+d+j+
X-+-S-X-
pXs+x+-X
+b+xPx+-
-P-P-P-+
+-+-+n+-
-+rQ-+pP
R-+-+-K-
22. Rac1 Rab8 23. Qe3 Rc7

  else White wins by Qe3-a3-a4

24. Rc3 Qd7 25. R1c2 Kf8 26. Qc1 Rbc8

 

 

-+t+-J-+
X-TdS-X-
pXs+x+-X
+b+xPx+-
-P-P-P-+
+-R-+n+-
-+r+-+pP
+-Q-+-K-
Pin number two, down the c-file - worth another diagram. How can White increase the pressure?

27. Ba4 b5 28. Bxb5 Ke8 29. Ba4 Kd8 30. h4

 

 

-+tJ-+-+
X-TdS-X-
p+s+x+-X
+-+xPx+-
bP-P-P-P
+-R-+n+-
-+r+-+p+
+-Q-+-K-
zugzwang

30... Qe8 31. b5 1-0

 

And the ultimate pin game...

Von Freymann - Forgacz, St.Petersburg, 1909

1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 c6 5. f3 Qa5 6. Qd2 e3 7. Bxe3 e5 8. dxe5 Qxe5 9. O-O-O d5 10. Bf4 Qf5 11. Re1+ Kf7 12. Bd3 Qd7 13. Nh3 Qd8 14. Ng5+ Kg8 15. Ne6 Bxe6 16. Rxe6 g6 17. Bg5 Nbd7 18. Qf4 Kf7 19. Rhe1 h6 20. Bh4 Bg7

[if 20... g5 21. Qf5 Rg8 22. Bf2 Black's position remains precarious]

 

t+-D-+-T
Xx+s+jL-
-+x+rSxX
+-+x+-+-
-+-+-Q-B
+-Nb+p+-
pPp+-+pP
+-K-R-+-
Black is in a TRIPLE pin; how is White to increase the pressure?

21. Ne4 dxe4

[21... Rf8 22. Nxf6 Nxf6 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Rd6 g5 25. Qf5 Qxd6 26. Qg6#]

22. Bc4 the power of discovered check

22... Kg8 23. Rxf6+ Kh7 24. Rxg6 Nf6

[24... Kxg6 25. Qxe4+ Kh5 26. Qg4#]

25. Qf5 1-0

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