Chessworld.net founded in 2000 is an online chess site.
If you would like to play relaxed, friendly online chess, then...
or

Top 50 Chess Middlegame Tactics

These middlegame tactics occur frequently in real games and should be part of every player’s toolkit. Recognizing these ideas can help you win material or land a decisive attack.

• 1. Fork:

  A single piece (often a knight or queen) attacks two targets simultaneously.

• 2. Pin:

  A piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable target behind it.

• 3. Skewer:

  A valuable piece is forced to move, exposing a lesser one behind it.

• 4. Discovered Attack:

  Moving one piece reveals an attack by another piece behind it.

• 5. Discovered Check:

  A discovered attack that delivers check, often very powerful.

• 6. Double Check:

  Both the moving piece and the discovered piece deliver check simultaneously.

• 7. Decoy:

  Luring an opponent's piece to a square where it becomes vulnerable.

• 8. Deflection:

  Forcing a piece to leave its duty, such as defending a key square or piece.

• 9. Overloading:

  A defender is given too many responsibilities and cannot fulfill them all.

• 10. Zwischenzug (Intermediate Move):

  Inserting a surprise move in the middle of an expected sequence.

• 11. Clearance:

  Vacating a square or file to make room for another piece or tactic.

• 12. Interference:

  Interrupting the connection between enemy pieces to disable their coordination.

• 13. Sacrifice:

  Giving up material to open lines, expose the king, or gain tactical advantage.

• 14. X-ray Attack:

  Attacking through an enemy piece to a hidden target on the same line.

• 15. Smothered Mate:

  Mating the enemy king with a knight when it's surrounded by its own pieces.

• 16. Back Rank Mate:

  Delivering mate on the last rank when the king has no escape squares.

• 17. Battery:

  Aligning two or more pieces (often queen + rook or queen + bishop) to multiply pressure.

• 18. Distraction:

  Drawing an enemy piece away from its defensive duties.

• 19. King Hunt:

  Forcing the enemy king out of safety and chasing it into danger.

• 20. Pawn Break:

  Using a pawn push to explode open a file or diagonal at the right time.

• 21. Trapping a Piece:

  Creating a net around an enemy piece that can no longer escape.

• 22. Forced Sequence:

  A line of moves with only one response at each step, often leading to a decisive result.

• 23. Attack on a pinned piece:

  Adding pressure to a pinned piece, often leading to a material win.

• 24. Line-opening sacrifice:

  Sacrificing material to open files, ranks, or diagonals for attacking chances.

• 25. Perpetual Check:

  Forcing a draw by delivering an endless series of checks.

• 26. Underpromotion Tactic:

  Promoting a pawn to a minor piece for tactical reasons.

• 27. King Exposure:

  Forcing the king into the open and creating tactics from its vulnerability.

• 28. Rook Lift:

  Swinging a rook up the board to join an attack, often from the third or fourth rank.

• 29. Blocking a Check with a Counter-threat:

  Neutralizing an attack by returning fire in a stronger way.

• 30. Open File Exploitation:

  Using a rook or queen to invade via an open file.

• 31. Piece Trap:

  Restricting an opponent’s piece to a location where it’s doomed to be captured.

• 32. Dark/Light-Square Domination:

  Dominating squares your opponent can't cover with the bishop color they lack.

• 33. Mate Threat Tactics:

  Using a threat of checkmate to win material or force a weakening move.

• 34. Defense Removal:

  Capturing or forcing away a crucial defending piece.

• 35. Exchange Sacrifice:

  Giving up a rook for a minor piece to gain initiative or open lines.

• 36. Opening Diagonals for Bishops:

  Sacrifices that aim to make long-range bishops powerful.

• 37. Desperado Tactic:

  A piece doomed to be lost makes the most of its last move, capturing valuable material.

• 38. Quiet Move:

  A non-checking, non-capturing move that ends a combination with a powerful threat.

• 39. Square Domination:

  Controlling key central or attacking squares to limit opponent options.

• 40. Threatening Mate in One:

  Creating direct mating threats to distract or force defensive moves.

• 41. Multi-threat Combinations:

  Creating multiple simultaneous threats that overload your opponent’s position.

• 42. Breakthrough:

  Sacrificing pawns to create a passed pawn or open a line for attack.

• 43. Trapping the King in the Center:

  Preventing castling and punishing undeveloped kings.

• 44. Queen Sacrifice for Forced Mate:

  Bold tactical finish where the queen gives way to a decisive combination.

• 45. Skewer with Promotion Threat:

  Combining a skewer with an unstoppable pawn advance.

• 46. Positional Sacrifice with Tactical Justification:

  Giving up material to change the nature of the position in your favor.

• 47. Diagonal Forks:

  Especially common with queens or bishops, hitting two pieces on a diagonal.

• 48. Playing for Zwischenzugs:

  Anticipating a surprising intermediate tactic during calculation.

• 49. Attacking the Base of a Pawn Chain:

  Disrupting structure with tactical threats.

• 50. Coordinated Attack:

  All your pieces working together to overwhelm the enemy king or position.

For best results, combine these motifs with active piece placement and king safety awareness.