apex64 Coach

Trapped Piece

What it is

Trapping a piece means attacking an enemy piece that has no safe retreat, so that adding one more attacker wins it outright — the piece is caught with nowhere to go.

When to use it

Use it against pieces that have wandered offside (a greedy queen, a knight on the rim, a bishop that grabbed a pawn) and whose escape squares you can cover.

How to use it

Notice an enemy piece short of squares, take away its remaining flight squares with pawns and pieces, then attack it. With no escape, it falls — sometimes immediately, sometimes after a quiet preparatory move.

Worked examples

Watch the coach play the tactic from real master games.