Discovered attack: rook to e3 (e7)
li-02Plznaming tag (square·N)The tactical motive
Discovered attack: one piece steps aside, unleashing another's attack.
Difficulty 2120 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
Black to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king g1, queen b3, rook d1, knight g7, pawn e3 g3 h4.
Black: king h8, queen a7, rook e7, pawn f5 g6 h6.
7 white and 6 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 36.
Solution & explanation
Main line
36... Rxe3 37. Rd8+ Re8+ 38. Kg2 Rxd8
Why it works
- Great move! rook to e3 keeps the pressure (+3.9).
- Well found: rook to e8 (+3.8).
- Strong! rook to d8 is the sharp choice (+3.6).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Rd8+, then Re8+ and you stay on top.
Types in this puzzle
Win the pinned piece
The pinned piece cannot run — attack it again and win it.
A pinned piece cannot flee, which means you can win it outright by attacking it one more time. Count attackers against defenders: if you outnumber them, the piece is yours. The best extra attacker is a pawn, since it costs less than anything it might capture. Do not rush the capture — build up the pressure first, then harvest.
Discovered check
The moving piece opens a check — and is free to grab anything meanwhile.
With a discovered check the moving piece unmasks a check from the piece standing behind it. While the king deals with the check, the piece that moved grabs whatever it likes, free of charge. Look for your long-range piece on a line with the enemy king, with exactly one of your own pieces in between. The rule: among all the ways to step aside, pick the one that captures or attacks the most expensive loot.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 015
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