Discovered attack conceded
And you — how often have you allowed it?
Import your games: ChessPivot flags every time this pattern cost you material, and trains you to fix it.
What is it?
An allowed discovered attack is when your opponent moves a piece that was masking another: the piece left in place then uncovers an attack on one of yours. The move works on two fronts at once, and you can’t parry both.
How it happens
It requires a hidden battery: a long-range piece lined up on one of yours, with an enemy piece in between. When that screen moves — often with its own threat, even a discovered check — the masked attack is revealed. You allow it by leaving your valuable pieces on such lines.
How to avoid it
Spot potential batteries: an enemy long-range piece that 'looks at' one of yours through a screen. Ask what happens if the screen steps aside, and avoid lining up king and queen on a line where a bishop or rook waits behind one of its own men.
Train this motif
Exercises built from YOUR games (solved, missed) are part of ChessPivot Plus. Discover ChessPivot Plus
Frequently asked
- Why is a discovery so dangerous?
- Because it creates two threats in one move: the moving piece acts for itself while the unmasked piece strikes elsewhere. A single defence almost never suffices.
- What is a discovered check?
- A discovery where the unmasked piece gives check: you must answer the check, which lets the moving piece capture or settle freely. It’s the sharpest form.