Skewer: rook to b8 (b7)
li-08wTCnaming tag (square·N)Opens in the app if installed, otherwise downloads the APK.
The tactical motive
Skewer: a valuable piece is forced to move, exposing the one behind it.
Difficulty 2033 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
White to move — find the best continuation
How to recognize this tactic
A skewer is a pin reversed — the valuable piece stands in front and, when it moves, the piece behind falls. Line your rook, bishop or queen up against the king or queen and win whatever is hiding behind it.
General method: before you move, list the forcing candidates — every check, every capture, every direct threat — and calculate those first. The solution to a tactic is almost always among them.
Position on the board
White: king h2, rook b7, knight d6, pawn a2 g2 f3 h3.
Black: king f8, rook e2, knight d5, pawn h6 a7 f7 g7.
7 white and 7 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 34.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 12 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on h2, the black king on f8.
It is White to move on move 34, with 26 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 4 pawns, Black 4. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): b, c, d, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
The White king has 3 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
34. Rb8+ Ke7 35. Re8+ Kxd6 36. Rxe2
Why it works
- Great move! rook to b8 keeps the pressure (+3.8).
- Well found: rook to e8 (+3.9).
- Strong! rook to e2 is the sharp choice (+3.8).
- You reach a winning position (+3.8).
- If instead Ke7, then Re8+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 34. Rb8+ — rook to b8 with check
- Ke7 — king to e7
- 35. Re8+ — rook to e8 with check
- Kxd6 — king to d6 (capture)
- 36. Rxe2 — rook to e2 (capture)
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.
Endgame tactic
Tactics live in the endgame too — strike while material is scarce.
Tactics do not retire when the queens come off: forks, pins and double attacks live on in the endgame. With so little material left, every tactical loss is almost always decisive. The signs are the usual ones — undefended pieces, king and piece on one line, a pawn about to promote. Even in a "technical" ending, scan for a shot before every move, both yours and your opponent's.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 014
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