Tactics · Lesson 3 of 7 · 2 min read
What Is a Skewer in Chess?
By James Dulay · Updated 14 November 2026
A skewer is a pin turned around. A line piece attacks a valuable piece, usually the king or queen, which must move out of the way. Once it does, the piece standing behind it is captured.
Try it in 3DThe rook skewer
The white rook checks the king along the e-file. The king has to move aside, which leaves the queen behind him undefended on the same file. White captures it next move.
The bishop skewer
Bishops skewer along diagonals. Here the bishop checks the king along the long diagonal and wins the rook in the corner once the king steps away.
How to find skewers
Look for two enemy pieces on the same rank, file or diagonal, with the more valuable one in front. Checks are the most forcing skewers. Kings and rooks in endgames are frequent victims. Practise in the interactive skewer lesson.
Interactive lesson
Practise the skewer on a 3D board
Pawnorama walks you through this lesson step by step. You make every move yourself, with hints when you need them. Free, no account needed.
Start the lessonCommon questions
Which pieces can skewer?
Only line pieces: bishops, rooks and queens.
Skewer or pin: which piece is in front?
In a skewer, the more valuable piece is in front. In a pin, the less valuable one is.