Discovered Attacks
A discovered attack happens when moving one piece out of the way reveals an attack from a different piece behind it.
Why This Matters
- Sometimes a piece is quietly blocking one of your own pieces from attacking something powerful.
- Moving the blocking piece away can "discover" a check or attack from the piece behind it.
- The strongest discovered attacks let the moving piece do something useful too, like capture or fork, while the revealed piece checks the king.
Objectives
- Define a discovered attack and a discovered check.
- Notice when a friendly piece is blocking another piece's line of attack.
- Find the move that unmasks a discovered check.
Guided Interactive Lesson
Step 0 of 8
Try to play move 1:(Expected idea from lesson line)
Lesson Line
- e4
- c6
- d4
- d5
- Nc3
- dxe4
- Nxe4
- Nd7
Practice Positions
Find the move yourself — the answer stays hidden until you solve it or reveal it.
Practice 1 of 3
The knight is blocking the rook's file. Move the knight so the rook delivers check.
Practice 2 of 3
The knight is blocking the bishop's diagonal. Move the knight so the bishop delivers check.
Practice 3 of 3
The bishop is blocking the queen's diagonal. Move the bishop so the queen delivers check.
Mini-Game
Play this position with a partner. Before moving any piece, check whether it is blocking one of your other pieces from attacking something valuable.
Printable Move-by-Move Boards
Print one board per step to review the full sequence offline.
Open printable version