Tactics: Double Attack

Did someone say Double Attack?! This tactical trick attacks not one, but two pieces at the same time.

TOPIC 1

There are two ways for White to make a strong double attack. Can you find at least one of them?

Great job! This very powerful double attack threatens both the king and the rook. Black must save the king and lose the rook. The other double attack was Rc7, attacking both the knight and bishop at once and winning one of them.

Of course Black cannot allow his king to be captured, and the only other legal move, …Rf5, wouldn’t save anything since White would then capture the rook with check.
Chess is mostly tactics! The reason? All games must eventually be decided by tactics. Tactics win pieces. And having more pieces leads to a better chance at checkmating the enemy king. Here, find a way to win material and eventually the game!

White’s double attack wins a whole rook. Now, with a big material advantage, White should be able to checkmate Black. Tactics! And the power of a double attack!

TOPIC 2

To find tactics in chess, it’s important to recognize patterns. One such pattern involves a straight-line-moving piece, like a rook, bishop, or queen. Figure out which black pieces are on the same line and take advantage of that to make a double attack.

Super!! White sacrifices the rook for the bishop, removing the defender of the diagonal, and exposing Black to a double attack.

Black has no choice but to recapture, since otherwise he would be down a piece.

Why did you give up your rook for that bishop? You better have a good idea to follow it up!

Great job! The sacrifice Rxf1 prepared a double attack. All Black can do in response is move the king, leaving a juicy rook for White to capture! This is a straight-line-tactic on the diagonal, and it’s a double attack.

Double attacks involving a check are particularly powerful. The defender must get out of check and often can’t counterattack. 

We will assume you got the idea now! Just click continue.

So White ends up with an extra bishop — more than enough to win the game.

TOPIC 3

Straight-line-double-attacks can also be carried out by rooks. Can you spot the move that allows White to make a double attack here? Look for forcing moves, like checks, captures and threats. 

Very good! The rook checks the king and attacks the black rook. Of course Black can now capture this rook, but it has backup!

Black has no choice but to take the rook, since otherwise he will lose his own rook.

White of course recaptures the rook. Now the Black king is in check, and …?

As usual, there is no choice but to deal with the threat to the king.

Now how do you finish up the double attack?

Great job! White’s last move put the black king in check and also attacked the bishop — so two things were threatened. Black saved the king, so White took the bishop. White is up a rook and should be able to win.

TOPIC 4

A double attack doesn’t always mean attacking two pieces. It can also mean that you threaten some other move — such as a checkmate! How can White threaten checkmate here and also attack a black piece?

Yes! The queen is very good at making double attacks, because of her great mobility. Here, she threatens the rook on a8 and checkmate on h7. 

Black could save the rook, but then White would play Qh7#, ending the game! Notice that White’s bishop is supporting the queen.

Black made the right choice to defend the king instead of the rook. How does White finish off the double attack tactic?

Great job! White chomps on the rook…a great reward for finding the double attack! 

TOPIC 5

Sometimes the defender has a way to stop both threats from a double attack in one move. Here it looks like …Rxa7, removing the dangerous passed pawn, would be met by a double attack Qc5+. This one’s tricky. Can Black safely capture on a7, or not? What would you do?

Yes! Black can indeed capture that pawn, and if he didn’t, he would be in big trouble. 

White carries out his intended double attack.

Black took the pawn. White has made a double attack. But can Black save both the king and the rook?

Excellent! This both saves the rook from capture and also blocks the check. Sometimes you can defend a double attack with a clever blocking move.