Skewer: rook to g2 (c2)
li-05N2ynaming tag (square·N)The tactical motive
Skewer: a valuable piece is forced to move, exposing the one behind it.
Difficulty 1550 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
Black to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king g3, rook g5, pawn e3 h5.
Black: king d6, rook c2, pawn f3 e5.
4 white and 4 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 42.
Solution & explanation
Main line
42... Rg2+ 43. Kxf3 Rxg5
Why it works
- Great move! rook to g2 keeps the pressure (+7.1).
- Well found: rook to g5 (+7.2).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kxf3, then Rxg5 and you win the rook.
Types in this puzzle
Skewer
A line attack forces the valuable piece to move, exposing the one behind it.
A skewer is a pin turned inside out: the valuable piece stands in front and something cheaper hides behind it. The big piece must step aside, and you collect the one that was sheltering in its shadow. Scan for the enemy king or queen sharing a file, rank or diagonal with another enemy piece. The deadliest version comes with check — the king moves, the rook behind it dies.
Rook endgame
The most common endgame — activity decides everything.
The rook endgame is the most common of all: rooks and pawns on the board. Its first law is activity — a rook behind a passed pawn beats a rook passively babysitting one. The sign of a correct plan is that your rook is attacking something, not guarding something. The typical error is locking your rook into defense: it is often better to give up a pawn and keep your rook and king active.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 011
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