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50+2 Chess Quick Wins: Tactical ideas for exciting chess for beginner players. Buy on Amazon! US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | NL | AU

My book, “50+2 Chess Quick Wins: Tactical ideas for exciting chess for beginner players” was published and released on Amazon in October 2023. This is the sixth video and article of a series that will cover the first section of the book, that explains tactical ideas and themes that underlie many quick win games!

In the previous article, “Tactics: Attack using open centre files”, we saw how semi-open and fully open centre files, the d- and e-files in the opening stages of the game can create tactical opportunities for a quick win. One specific manoeuvre that can be very powerful is placing our queen on a semi-open e-file, pinning the opponent’s e-pawn to the king.

Now, developing the queen early is normally contrary to sound opening principles. It is often unclear where the queen should go, and there is a risk that the queen will be harassed by the opponent’s minor pieces, resulting in a loss of tempo. That said, as we saw in the Scholar’s Mate/Wayward Queen Attack, the queen can be a very powerful attacking piece in the opening in specific contexts.

This manoeuvre is common in the Englund Gambit as developing the queen to the e-file is part of an established theoretical line. With the pin in place, the opponent’s e-pawn is unable to defend the squares on the adjacent d- and f-files. This complication to the position can be unexpected for the opponent, which can result in a critical deficiency in their king’s defences.

As the e-pawn pin tactical pattern is not commonly seen in frequently played and encountered chess openings (the e-file will need to be semi-opened, and the queen needs to be placed on the file), the opponent may not be actively scanning for it in their calculations of a position.

The tactic can be made even more effective by obscuring or hiding the initial setup of the pin. As written by Sun Tzu in The Art of War, “All warfare is based on deception.” For instance, having an initial intervening piece during the setup of the pin can create a hidden tactical resource. Moving that intervening piece with an attack now also reveals the pin!

Game 1 – Englund Gambit Accepted

Game 2 – Budapest Gambit

[Event "Tactical pattern"]

[Result "*"]

[SetUp "1"]

[FEN "4k3/3ppp2/8/8/8/8/1B2Q3/4K3 w - - 0 1"]



{[%c_highlight

e2;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false,e7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e2e7;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e7;persistent;false,e7e8;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false]}

1. Bf6 {[%c_arrow

b2f6;keyPressed;shift;from;b2;opacity;0.8;to;f6;persistent;false,f6e7;keyPressed;none;from;f6;opacity;0.8;to;e7;persistent;false,e2e7;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e7;persistent;false,e7e8;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e8;persistent;false][%c_highlight

e2;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false,e7;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false]

As the e-pawn is pinned to the king, something that can be unexpected and

surprising in the opening, the e-pawn does not defend the d6 and f6 squares. In

this example, the bishop can arrive on f6, creating a potential checkmate attack

with the queen on e7.} *







[Event "Game 1 - Englund Gambit Accepted"]

[Result "0-1"]



1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 {Englund Gambit Accepted} 2... Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 {[%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]

The queen is now on the e-file. White's e-pawn on e2 is not currently pinned,

but the opportunity is there, once the pawn on e5 is removed.} 4. g3

{[%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]}

4... Nxe5 {[%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]

Note: the e5 pawn is now gone. This also means that we now have the tactical

resource - when the knight moves, there is a discovered pin of the e-pawn on the

king $1} 5. Bg5 $4 {[%c_effect

g5;square;g5;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]

White attempts to attack the queen, but misses the killer blow $1} 5... Nxf3#

{[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;Winner,e1;square;e1;type;CheckmateWhite][%c_arrow

f3e1;keyPressed;none;from;f3;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false,f3d2;keyPressed;none;from;f3;opacity;0.8;to;d2;persistent;false,e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false][%c_highlight

e1;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e1;persistent;false,d2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;d2;persistent;false,f3;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;f3;persistent;false,e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false]

A seemingly impossible looking checkmate $1 With the discovered pin, the e-pawn

cannot capture the knight on f3, which not only gives check, but also covers the

single escape square (d2) for the king - checkmate $1} 0-1





[Event "Game 2 - Budapest Gambit"]

[Result "0-1"]



1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 {Budapest Gambit} 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bf4 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2

Qe7 {[%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]

Note: the queen is now on the e-file and there is a potential pin of White's

e-pawn on e2, once the pawn on e5 is removed.} 7. a3 {[%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]}

7... Ngxe5 $3 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;Brilliant;persistent;true][%c_arrow

a3b4;keyPressed;none;from;a3;opacity;0.8;to;b4;persistent;false,e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false][%c_highlight

b4;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;b4;persistent;false,e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false]

This is a brilliant move, with Black sacrificing their bishop on b4} 8. axb4 $4

{[%c_effect b4;square;b4;type;Blunder;persistent;true][%c_highlight

e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]

White doesn't see the tactical manoeuvre $1} 8... Nd3# {[%c_effect

e8;square;e8;type;Winner,e1;square;e1;type;CheckmateWhite][%c_highlight

d3;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;d3;persistent;false,e1;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e1;persistent;false,e7;keyPressed;alt;opacity;0.8;square;e7;persistent;false,e2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;e2;persistent;false][%c_arrow

d3e1;keyPressed;none;from;d3;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false,e7e2;keyPressed;none;from;e7;opacity;0.8;to;e2;persistent;false,e2e1;keyPressed;none;from;e2;opacity;0.8;to;e1;persistent;false]

A discovered pin of the e-pawn to the king. The e-pawn cannot capture the knight

on d3 - a seemingly impossible smothered checkmate $1} 0-1