Getting Out of Trouble in Chess

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What are the five problems?

Five problems turn up often in casual games. Each has a usual way out, and a habit that helps you avoid it next time.

Moves are written in algebraic notation, explained in An Accidental Guide to: The First Move in Chess. In 4…Bd7, the dots mark a move by Black. An x marks a capture and + marks check. Each board is drawn from the side in trouble.

Term	Meaning
Pin	A piece can’t move safely because a more valuable one is behind it.
Fork	One piece attacks two or more pieces at once.
Back-rank mate	A rook or queen mates a king shut in behind its own pawns.
Hanging piece	An unprotected piece is open to capture.
King in the center	A king that hasn’t castled when lines toward it open.

01 Pin

Field	Text
Identify by	A bishop, rook or queen lined up through your piece to a more valuable one.
What	A pin means a piece can’t move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it. The knight on c6 is pinned to the king, so it can’t move at all.
So what	Block the line with 4…Bd7. Other ways out are moving the king, or capturing or chasing the pinning piece.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Way out	Block the line
Next time	Check what is lined up

Confused with: Relative pin

With the king behind, the pin is absolute. In a relative pin, the pinned piece may move, but the piece behind it can then be captured.

02 Fork

Field	Text
Identify by	One piece, often a knight, attacking two or more of yours.
What	A fork is one piece attacking two or more pieces at once. Knights fork well because no piece a knight attacks can capture it, except another knight.
So what	Capture the forking piece if you can, here with Qxc2. If you can’t, answer the check and expect to lose the rook.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Way out	Capture the forking piece
Next time	Watch enemy knight jumps

Confused with: Pin

A fork attacks two or more pieces at once. A pin stops one piece from moving safely.

03 Back-rank mate

Field	Text
Identify by	Your king behind its own pawns, with an enemy rook or queen able to reach its rank.
What	A back-rank mate is checkmate by a rook or queen along the back rank, the row where the king started. The king’s own pawns block its escape.
So what	Make an escape square with h3, so the king can step to h2, or keep a rook or queen guarding the back rank.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Way out	Give the king a square
Next time	Guard the back rank

Confused with: A safe castled king

Castling usually makes your king safer. The pawns that shelter it can also trap it on the back rank.

04 Hanging piece

Field	Text
Identify by	A piece that nothing defends, with an enemy piece attacking it.
What	A hanging piece is unprotected and can be captured, like the knight on e5.
So what	Move the piece to a safe square or defend it. Here, move the knight back with 4.Nf3, because a pawn attacks it.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Way out	Move it or defend it
Next time	Check what is unprotected

Confused with: En prise

En prise covers any piece that can be taken at a loss, including one with too few defenders or one attacked by a cheaper piece.

05 King in the center

Field	Text
Identify by	Your king still on e1 or e8, with open lines toward it.
What	A king in the center is a king that hasn’t castled when lines toward it open. With the c-pawn and d-pawn gone, the bishop on b4 reaches e1.
So what	Block the check with 7.Bd2 or 7.Nc3, bringing a piece into play, then castle.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Way out	Block, then castle
Next time	Castle early

Confused with: Castling out of check

You can’t castle while in check, or across or onto a square an enemy piece attacks.

Sources

These public sources were checked on 22 October 2026.

Source	Date	Address
Wikipedia, Pin (chess)	May 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_(chess)
Wikipedia, Fork (chess)	July 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(chess)
Wikipedia, Back-rank checkmate	May 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-rank_checkmate
Wikipedia, Glossary of chess	October 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_chess
Wikipedia, Giuoco Piano	September 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuoco_Piano
Wikipedia, Ruy Lopez	October 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruy_Lopez
Wikipedia, Petrov’s Defence	October 2026	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrov%27s_Defence
Chess.com, Chess Terms: Pin, Fork, Back-Rank Mate, Hanging Piece, Check, Castling	October 2026	chess.com/terms