Level 1 · 5 min · 10 puzzles
Spot the free piece
Before you capture, ask: does anything protect it? If not, it’s free.
Practise it
Black to move
One of White's pieces has nothing protecting it. Take it.
White just moved the rook from g8 to h8.
- 1A piece with nothing protecting it is “hanging”.
- 2Ask “who protects it?” about every enemy piece you can attack.
- 3Before you take, check they cannot take back.
The longer explanation
What “hanging” means. A piece is hanging when nothing protects it. If you take it, your opponent cannot take back, so you have simply won a piece for free. Players at every level leave pieces hanging, and at this level it happens in most games.
Why this is worth five minutes. A free knight or bishop is worth more than almost any plan. You do not need to see far ahead to win it: you only need to ask the right question, and ask it every move.
The question. Look at each of your opponent’s pieces that you could capture and ask: is anything protecting it? If not, and the capture does not leave one of your own pieces hanging, take it.