ChessA discovered attack is moving a piece out of the way of your own rook, bishop or queen so that the piece behind it attacks. The piece that moves can go attack something else, so one move makes two threats. If the piece behind hits the king, it's called a discovered check. When you play chess with the computer, this is the tactic that most often costs someone a queen in one go.
What it looks like
Black is in check from the knight and has to deal with the king first. Wherever the king goes, or even if a pawn takes the knight on c6, the white bishop takes the queen on h8 next move.
Two kinds of discovered attack
Discovered check: the piece behind gives check
When the piece behind hits the king, that's a discovered check. Your opponent has to answer the check first, so the piece that moved can do almost anything it likes: capture, attack the queen, even walk right into a capture.
Black has to block the check first, and next move the knight takes the black queen (see Petrov's Defense for details).
The moving piece gives check, the piece behind captures
It works the other way around too: the piece that moves gives check itself, and the piece behind attacks a big piece. The example in "What it looks like" above is this kind.
A real example: a trap in the French Defense
In the Advance Variation of the French Defense, Black is easily tempted to grab the pawn on d4:
But the only thing between the white queen and the black queen is the white bishop on d3:
Black has to block the check first, and then the white queen takes the black queen. That's a discovered attack: the bishop gives check, the queen does the capturing.
How to defend
- Look at what's behind the enemy rooks, bishops and queen. If only one enemy piece stands between it and your king or queen, that piece could step aside at any moment.
- Don't leave your king or queen on an enemy line, even with another piece in between.
- Deal with the piece in the way first. Trade it, pin it, or move your king or queen off the line first.
- Take one more look before you capture. Grabbing a pawn often means putting your queen right on your opponent's discovery line.
Practice puzzles
Show answer
1. Nd3+ The knight jumps to d3. The rook on e1 gives check, and the knight attacks the queen on b2. Black has to answer the check first (even blocking with the queen on the e-file just loses her), and next move the knight takes the queen.
Show answer
1. d5 Push the pawn to d5. It attacks the knight on c6 and clears the long diagonal, so the bishop attacks the rook on h8. Black can only save one: save the knight and lose the rook, or save the rook and lose the knight.
Show answer
1. Nf5+ The knight jumps to f5 with check and opens the d-file. Whether Black moves the king or takes the knight with a pawn, the white queen takes the black queen on d8 next move.
FAQ
What's the difference between a discovered attack and a discovered check?
A discovered check is one kind of discovered attack: the piece behind hits the king. It's the strongest kind, because your opponent has to answer the check first, and the piece that moved is free to do something else.
How is a discovered attack related to a double check?
If the piece that moves also gives check, it's a double check: two pieces check at once, and your opponent can only move the king. A double check is a discovered check, upgraded.
How do I find discovered attacks in my games?
Look in front of your rooks, bishops and queen. Is one of your own pieces in the way, with the enemy king or queen at the end of the line? If so, think about where that piece could jump to while attacking something else.
Try it yourself
Discovered attacks often show up together with double checks and forks. Go back to chess tactics to see them all. Or play chess online for free right now and park a knight or bishop in front of your own rook or queen on purpose, waiting for the moment to step aside.