X-Ray Attack
An x-ray attack occurs when a piece attacks through another piece (either friendly or enemy) to threaten a piece behind it.
Key Concepts
Attacking Through Pieces
The attacking piece "sees through" one piece to attack another.
Indirect Pressure
The piece behind is under indirect attack.
Potential Tactics
X-ray attacks can lead to various tactical opportunities.
Types of X-Ray Attacks
X-Ray Defense
A piece defends another piece through an enemy piece.
X-Ray Attack on King
Attacking the king through another piece.
X-Ray on Material
Threatening material behind a piece.
Common Patterns
- Rook X-Ray: Rooks attack along ranks and files through pieces
- Bishop X-Ray: Bishops attack along diagonals through pieces
- Queen X-Ray: Queens can x-ray on multiple lines
- X-Ray Checkmate: Using x-ray to deliver checkmate
Creating X-Ray Attacks
- Align pieces on the same line
- Look for pieces behind other pieces
- Calculate if removing the front piece helps
- Consider forcing the front piece to move
Exploiting X-Ray Attacks
- Force the front piece to move
- Capture the front piece
- Use the x-ray for defensive purposes
- Combine with other tactics
Defending Against X-Ray
- Be aware of aligned pieces
- Move pieces off dangerous lines
- Block the x-ray attack
- Create counter-threats
Practice Tips
- Look for pieces on the same line
- Identify x-ray relationships
- Calculate what happens if pieces move
- Study x-ray puzzles
X-ray attacks add depth to tactical calculations and positional understanding.
Related tactics: pin-tactics, skewer-tactics, discovered-attack, windmill-tactic