A skewer attacks a valuable piece that must move away from danger, revealing a weaker piece hiding right behind it on the same rank, file, or diagonal. Once the first piece steps aside, the attacker captures the piece that was hiding behind it.

The difference with a pin

A skewer works like the mirror image of a pin. In a pin, the more valuable piece sits behind and immobilizes the less valuable piece in front of it. In a skewer, the order is reversed: the more valuable piece is in front, forced to move under threat, and it’s the weaker piece left behind that ends up falling.

A simple example

The black king is in check on the a-file: it must move, and the white rook will then capture the queen on a8.

In this position, the white rook checks the black king, lined up with the queen on the a-file. The king has no choice but to leave that file, and once it does, the white rook captures the queen left behind. This combination of check followed by winning the queen is the most devastating kind of skewer: it often nets an entire major piece.

How to spot and use a skewer

Look for an enemy king or queen lined up with another valuable piece along an open rank, file, or diagonal. If you have a rook, bishop, or queen that can land on that line, a skewer becomes possible, especially in the endgame, where fewer pieces are on the board and lines open up more easily.

Rooks and queens pull off skewers most often, thanks to their reach along straight lines. A bishop can do it along diagonals, but a knight never can, since it doesn’t move in a straight line.

To defend against one, keep an eye on whether your most valuable pieces are lined up with your king or queen: as soon as an open line connects them, an enemy piece can slide right in. Blocking the line, or simply avoiding these alignments in the first place, is usually enough to neutralize the danger.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a skewer and a pin?

In a pin, the more valuable piece is behind and stops the pinned piece from moving. In a skewer, it’s the reverse: the more valuable piece is in front and has to move, which exposes the weaker piece left behind it.

Can a skewer deliver checkmate directly?

Rarely: the piece targeted first almost always has a square to escape to. A skewer usually wins material rather than delivering immediate mate, except in rare positions where the king is completely boxed in.

When are skewers most common in a game?

Mostly in the endgame. With fewer pieces on the board, ranks, files, and diagonals stay open longer, which multiplies the chances of lining up the enemy king or queen with another piece.