How To Deal With Pins On Your Knights

Practical advice on what to do when your knight gets pinned by a bishop.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:09 - 4 Basic Options
7:12 - Other Cases
18:29 - Outro
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[@krishradio1]

Thank you for this critical strategic lesson on one of the most practical positions faced by beginners/intermediate players. I think watching this video multiple times and then internalising it will help us play with more confidence.

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Thanks for the suggestion, Krishnan!

[@harry_krish]

Six face thalaivare

[@tahangpuasa2436]

please analyze Bosqu

[@andreluveltia6355]

During 06:03, you can counter attack by attacking the bishop with a pawn, with a risk of.. the enemy pawn capturing pawns to the kingside.

[@julianooms327]

Yeah I was going to mention that as well, and if black plays Bh4 just go g4. It’s not pretty and you will lose a pawn if the opponent takes the knight immediately, but you certainly don’t lose a full piece like Nelson implied

[@ggcreeper962]

True

[@unh0lys0da16]

I think he meant in general, not in that specific case

[@lucasbortoluzzi9369]

it weakens the king side but you develop your bishop faster as black as no pieces develop i think you come out ahead and ready to attackif he goes for the captures with your half open file he will have to watch out for the rook dicover attack on the g pawn too when he develop his dark square bishop

[@jordanthomas8542]

_+ open b file_

[@puzzLEGO]

a lot of people think the worst of it, but sometimes having doubled pawns is worth the lack of struggle trying to defend it

[@danielyuan9862]

Wdym, "lack of struggle" I thought double isolated pawns are bad because they are _harder_ to defend.

[@zBrain0]

I picked up at least three useful tactics. As usual you picked a great topic. This one is especially funny for me though because I have a friend that always plays the philidor defense... I guarantee I will get a checkmate out of those two knights at some point in the near future

[@user-zc2jf9tl3n]

Your lessons could be used not only to learn how to play chess, but also they give ability to study English listening. Especially for foreign people whose mother language is not English. Very nice. Thank you!

[@prakasavigraha6104]

This is quite instructive and all made a lot of sense. Thank you for being so generous to share your experience Nelson.

[@RikMaxSpeed]

What a fantastic video! Stuff I knew, but traps I didn’t, and lots of cool examples. Thank you Nelson 😃

[@SEAKPhotog]

Very, very useful lesson! Thank you!👍🏻

[@lucasbortoluzzi9369]

6:25 actually you can attack the bishop with h3 and g4 and then move your knight

[@oyebolaopeyemi8590]

At 11:30 , I think you have the option of Nxe5, if Bxd1, then Bxf7 is mate. If after Nxe5, dxe5, then you can just take the Bishop with the queen. If after Nxe5, d5 I think you can just do Bxd5 then if Nxd5, you can take the Bishop and continue from there

[@Thamboo111]

This video is so useful !!! Thanks to all work you done , have a nice day !

[@Str8W.tm4rv]

Thanks for the lesson!

[@locrianphyrigian3779]

Loved it. So concise.

[@LucyMusic1999]

Thank you so much for your really awesome and educational videos. I will so happy when I will have time to study more chess so I will check your videos again. It really helps. Wish your channel will grow fast, you deserve it!

[@ggcreeper962]

That’s super helpful. Thanks!

[@Link1209]

Excellent video that presented info in a way a beginner like myself could digest. Thank you

[@vijaygarv]

Thank goodness I found this goldmine of a channel. Subbed 👍

[@OlleJonasson-pr8lu]

Very good lesson ! Thank's.

[@TheDestroyer7102]

Great vid Nelson! Keep it up!

[@jonwill]

Well presented; thank you for sharing.

[@chesspuzzles7644]

Ome reason I really like your videos Is that technically after the first half of the video, I would know my options, but after you show positions and I can try to figure out which is best. You also teach things you wouldn't expect to learn, like when he said attack in the direction of your pawns. I had never heard that before, so that really helps

[@vincehomoki1612]

Yes! This is exactly what I needed!

[@mabblers]

This was very good. Thanks guy!

[@Kirito_wr]

6:12 u dont actually lose the knight because u can just play h3 g4 and then move the knight

[@jaideepshekhar4621]

You wouldn't really want to do that on the kingside, but better than losing the Knight I suppose

[@alexwangombe8534]

After h3 black takes the knight, you take the bishop, then black takes your bishop on e2, so you're still down a piece

[@awesome7732]

@@alexwangombe8534 he was saying play h3 instead of Be2 so at worst you'd lost two pawns

[@alexwangombe8534]

@@awesome7732 disregard my comment, i was looking at the position at 6:20 where there was a bishop on e2

[@jonathanhaas8342]

Very helpful, thank you

[@absbox_]

Great video I didn't know about chasing away that bishop in French defense tactic. Pretty neat

[@Omar_Merican]

awesome video Nelson! 😃

[@nonemo138]

Thanks, I figured most of this stuff out myself but I'll definitely try and see if I can incorporate that Philidor defense trap in my games. I'm starting to appreciate how important the F file is for tactics such as this.

[@oksananechyporuk9357]

thank you so much this video was very instructive :)

[@rs_fury5290]

me bring new to chess is kinda mind blown about all these moves and strategies and was happy that you are able to cover and explain everything in details. Thanks!

[@aru0109]

Hi Nelson. I love the video, it's a great summary for beginners who just don't know what they can do in general. However, for rating 1k+, I'd like to know specific reasonings for which option to choose and when. For example in what kinds of positions should you do x, y, or z, and why you'd want to choose one over another (forcing a certain exchange/transforming the pawn structure/creating imbalances/etc) I know a lot of it is part of opening theory but I feel like knowing these things will really help for example picking which variation to play depending on your goal and when you deviate from theory.

[@karlbe8414]

Nelson, I think you are the best chess explainer on youtube! Like that checkmate trap and hope to one day use it.

[@Trikedin]

My question is, how you can detect and work with pawn weaknisses. I know than doubler pawns, isolated pawns backwards pawns are usually weak but especially to detect them in a casual situation and work with them is a huge problem for me

[@jrviade85]

Its easy if you try (John Lennon said that lol)

[@Thamboo111]

Try to blockade the pawn and pile up pieces on it to win them

[@SilverStarGG]

I have this problem as well

[@3trilogy]

@@Thamboo111 I like your suggestion.

[@Thamboo111]

Thanks bro , I appreciate that 👍

[@jotarokujo7955]

Beautiful video. Yes the bishop pin is so annoying. Now I have more weapons/solutions to deal with it

[@Fondil_Mabols]

I always learn something from your videos. Thanks for the content

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Glad to hear it!

[@Altus2001]

Bravo! this series of little vignette videos are very helpful. Thank you Nelson!

[@AaronSmith-sx4ez]

A key consideration is if the enemy is fianchettoing their non-pinning bishop. If so, it is often easy kick the pinning bishop back with A3 or H3 because, the bishop will be trapped by their own pawn if they try to retreat. The other consideration is with h3/a3 pawn pushes, a good player can and will sack two pawns for a minor piece to open up your position and unleash an often devastating attack.

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Good points!

[@darrylkassle361]

Great video - very very apt considering it happens almost every game. Also could you possibly do this as a theme in general in terms of common tactics/ moves/ ideas that happen often and how to deal with them. For example I have trouble knowing when to keep the centre open or locked or when to break into the middle even what side to castle on at times when it is not glaringly obvious. This is why your channel has done so well because of content like that.

[@Thamboo111]

Yes man , i have the same problem like you

[@joshualee6559]

All I've ever heard is break it open if you ahead in development.

[@darrylkassle361]

@@joshualee6559 ok thanks. Sometimes though you get in positions where the development is relatively equal and all things considered otherwise I don’t know how to treat the centre specifically with regards to pawn play

[@kidthebilly7766]

i see these in the majority of my games as i play a pretty baseline opening i've watched like 15 of your videos and they've all helped me tremendously

[@jasonbourne4784]

Good info. Can you make more videos on how to play the middlegame?

[@NidusFormicarum]

Two other common approaches is 1. Playing Qb3 to attack the b7 pawn - especially when the knight is still on b8. This is often a good option when your opponent's bg4 or his/her follow-up turns out to be a mistake. This might compromise your pawn structure, but if you win a pawn and gain the bishop pair in the process this is often bad news for the second player. 2. Putting a knight between your pinned piece and your queen (or rook). This is actually a theoretical move in some openings. Now your knight is heading for another square and you have dealt with an annoying pin. Capturing your knight and giving you doubled pawns is not always a good option for your opponent, since they will have to part with the bishop pair and giving you a file to work with. If they don't capture it your previously pinned knight is now free to move to a better square (even if that results in a new pin).

[@Omar_Merican]

also, i think that there's a 5th way to deal with the bishop pin on the knight...unpinning the queen with Qd3 or Qd6 with white and black respectively.

[@egnite8942]

And Ke2 or Ke7 to unpin the King for White and black respectively 😂

[@Omar_Merican]

@@egnite8942😑

[@Omar_Merican]

@@egnite8942 the bishop will skewer the king and queen 😭😂

[@egnite8942]

@@Omar_Merican c'mon I'm just joking

[@egnite8942]

@@Omar_Merican we can black with the Knight or pawn

[@l.z.6553]

thanks, this happens VERY often in my games in low elo..

[@xlsfd]

10:40 That is the Légall Trap, also known as the Blackburne Trap. The correct response to Nxe5 would be Nxe5 or dxe5, after which White can take the bishop with the queen.

[@wigner]

a neat corollary trick here with the first example, is that once you've protected the queen with the bishop block and the knight is no longer pinned, you can attack with that previously pinned knight and possibly pick up an unguarded bishop

[@nabhneeldas5094]

It is a great channel. It is an helpful video. Can you make a video on when to take time and when to look for calculation because sometime we take time when not needed.

[@night_inhale]

Hey, @Chessvibes, thanks for this video.

[@mastrake]

Well done!

[@ligth3977]

5:30 If you do Knight e5, and opponent takes queen, you can checkmate with bishop.

[@he11ojake]

awesome vid as usual

[@JEC2007]

Helpful video.

[@jrviade85]

11:48 I thought of those moves exactly as you showed! Damn I'm getting better and better lol 😌

[@argentina8312]

Thank you

[@alexlegard6245]

You should study some example games in your opening, and see how the masters deal with the pins on their knights. Nelson did a great job explaining the common themes 😃

[@chuckdecker3765]

Many times, after pushing both pawns to kick back the bishop, like at @18:06, moving the formerly-pinned knight to a5 traps the bishop, giving you the option of taking for a knight

[@joshualee6559]

I like your channel. Danya's channel is great, but I really like your focused topics that are very helpful to the club-level player.

[@lukkamayer9698]

In the first position shown where bishop g4 was the last move played by black I some times play bishop d2 with a cool idea. For example, bishop d2, knight f6 and then knight e2 attacking the bishop on b4, if the bishop trades then I recapture with the knight on f3, if they capture my knight on f3 then I take their bishop on b4 and if the bishop on b4 moves away then I play knight g3 and h3 next.

[@tomasbizet3484]

Thank you sir for doing this for free. You are the best for taking your time to teach us many things about chess. THANK YOU!

[@goalsavior]

As someone who used to freak out and panic at the sign of a pin, I appreciate this video

[@gustavowatari1295]

Great video

[@EliLippy]

thanks nelson

[@Badolasantosh]

Thanks

[@flicker6741]

I was a 1500 and still got stressed about this knight pin problem. This video helped me figured out what should I do next in some game maybe, thanks for the video anyways.

[@strenesperu9956]

This happens to me a lot. Funny thing, this video was uploaded on my b-day Ty for a super-delayed present!

[@ethanna1684]

What about h3 bh5 g4 to attack bishop with tempo to protect the knight. 6:30

[@thomasgrabowski2202]

Oh I need this video BAD lol! :P

[@SOMEONE-mm7mm]

Hi :) I'm from Indonesian😁😁

[@stag6161]

Usually when I get this pin on my kingside knight I can develop my queens bishop to guard d4/d5 if they trade bishops on e3/e6 I take with the f pawn keeping d4/d5 covered and opening my rook to recapture my kings knight... but one thing I don't see much is when, instead of trading bishops on e3/e6 they play Bd4/Bd5, I know I don't want to trade bishops in that case, if opponents knight is ready to recapture I've been playing Qe7/Qe2 and moving my queens knight to play c3/c6 and attack the bishop. Did I manage to make sense there? Anybody have any other approach to deal with the bishop coming to d4/d5?

[@justinpoole8227]

Can you explain how in the beginning you got the dark squared bishop to that position with your own pawn blocking the way?

[@Stefan-xh1hi]

6:10 h3, g4 and white is fine right?

[@user-vm5lb4qt7y]

Puting bishop e2 to remove the pin on the queen is such a passive move, said GM Igor

[@sweatypickle1288]

Can you also play knight e5 at 11:30 or am I just negative elo?

[@thenateyoulove]

Your views per video are getting more and more consistent. Hopefully you see that means you're on the right track, love you

[@drone231]

cool stuff

[@ReinaldosChessLessons]

Nice vid!

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Thanks man! Glad to see you're back!

[@domlosurdo3432]

9:42 awesome

[@zdude1793]

very good education video. but very loud mouse movements. Either way earned a sub haha

[@shinobi6497]

If the pawn attacks the knight can you chase it away so you ether get a trade of pieces or undo the pin

[@brass4235]

@9:50 when talking about the Legal Trap, is it totally necessary to kick the bishop back to h5? Would it be the same to go Nf3-Ne5 with the black Bishop on g4? I ask because once black takes BxQd1, is it not still perpetual check until Nc3-Nd5#?

[@brass4235]

I see why kicking the bishop is best. After reading the comments further, I see that if the opponent doesn't fall for the trap they can take the N on e5 and protect the Bishop... Didn't see that at 1st glance

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Yup you got it 👍

[@runaldinjo]

How about placing the knight on the second row (e2 or d2)? Then the pin wont work due to f3 og c3. Any good?

[@deadbully1337]

i swear this guy reminds me of one of the chris hansen episodes! he look so similar xd

[@rosiefay7283]

9:07 This is Légall's mate, named after the winner of a game Légall -- Saint-Brie, Paris, 1750. That game didn't go exactly as described in this video but the idea is the same. And the reason why White *needs* to kick Black's bishop with 5 h3 is that, if Black's bishop stayed on g4, then 5 Nxe5 is now bad because 5 ... Nxe5! defending the bishop, and White's attack disappears.

[@soulburner8095]

Once I played with Black and first I didn't see, that Legall's Mate is possible, but after I played h6 to let the Bishop go to h4, then I saw it, the Legall's Mate and then I noticed, with h6 I letted the Risk, that if the Opponent would see the Legall's Mate, that I could lose a Piece Disapear, because if the Opponent would take with the Knight my Knight, I just take the Bishop on h4 with the Queen. Spoiler: Legall's Mate worked, my Opponent was 1600 or like that xD

[@unh0lys0da16]

on 12:47 you say that doubled isolated pawns are bad, which is true, but if in this position black is already castled and white is not there is also a pro to this, which is an open G file a rook which can come to g1 looking right at the enemy king. I think in general beginners are too afraid of doubled pawns and it's one of the biggest contributing factor in them not getting better. At some point you've gotta look concretely at the position and ask yourself what you gain from doubling your pawns, because sometimes doubled pawns are surprisingly good and doubled pawns almost always cause a file to open.

[@arthilas_]

Agreed. Another example for good double pawns in the opening is if you play Be3 in response to the enemy's Bc5 and they decide to trade bishops. You capture back with your f-pawn, resulting in double pawns in the e-file. But you also have an open f-file your rook can use once you have castled kingside and more pawns to control the center with.

[@CubeforFun]

What do you think of Qd3 to deal with a knight pinned to the queen?

[@MurshidIslam]

If I have the opponent's knight pinned, what factors should I consider to decide whether to take that knight in exchange for my bishop or not? Can you do a video on that?

[@Karlsson1976]

At 12:05 I would make the move Nxe5 because my follow up would be Bxf7#

[@yanakanyanu4959]

Super bro ☺️☺️☺️☺️

[@salamon9114]

Uhmm can u make a video explaining how to fully utilize bishops like in high level chess sometimes players just retreat their bishops to the back ranks I would love a detailed explanation regarding proper positioning of bishops

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Bishop video is coming soon although I think it will be more basic than what you might be looking for. Maybe I can circle back sometime with something more advanced

[@hertha7224]

what about when you castle, they pin your kingside knight, you attack with h3 (or h6) and they protect the bishop with their rook pawn? Yeah you get a bishop but you open up your king to all kinds of nasty positions. What would you recommend?

[@waleedibrahim4558]

Hi, what kind of chess software you are using in your PC is there a free one I can download? Thanks

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Yeah it's free: lichess.org/analysis

[@apeejaychess]

At 15:00 you could play 1 . Bxe4 fxe4 2. Qxe4 and we actually dont care we give black an half open file

[@xxlCortez]

The best is when they try this pin on the queen but you can use it to put a check-fork on the pinning piece with the queen.

[@SarahConnor618]

It depends on the player. Personally I value the diagonal walker more than the horse despite it havinf equal points. So i woikd chase them off with ur pawns. If they eat ur horse, their loss. If they run, also their loss as they wasted moves and you gained board position.

[@thecousindeci1103]

Well technically they don't have equal value. The bishop is actually worth 3.33 compared to the knights 3.05 I think evaluated by the engine. So a 1/3 of a pawn more than the knight which can add up quickly at the higher level

[@taimaishu99]

10:28 trap is niceee

[@stafey7659]

I feel pawns are very useful for getting rid of some of these formations

[@wilu9814]

I usually dont care about pins and break them while developing Queen or castling sometimes i use one of the solutions from video but it's only when there is real danger or a tactic

[@Km0577]

Every example I see shows bishop retreating on that pawn.. they AALLLLEWAYYSSSS trade and make my pawns all messed up… how do I punish that?

[@kirillzakharov7336]

damn the Legal's mate was painful when I fell for it

[@evancrow2191]

I am just started out. And my knights get pinned constantly. So after that show of the trap. I play a few rounds. And My Knight does NOT GET PINNED AGAIN AT ALL!!! WHY IS IT THAT WHEN I AM READY FOR IT. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN!!! Anyway. Thanks this helps a lot.

[@Markyto973]

You didn't talk how the Queen can move out the pin but steel protect the piece. But other than that, a very good video