FoxyChess › Tactics › Double Check
Double Check
A discovered check where the piece that moves also gives check, so the king is attacked twice. Blocking or capturing can't stop two checks, so the king must move, which often leads straight to mate.
How to spot it
A discovered check in which the moving piece gives check too. Two pieces attack the king at once, so capturing one or blocking one line changes nothing: the king must move. If every square the king can go to is covered, it's mate.
A worked example
Réti–Tartakower, Vienna 1910. After 9.Qd8+! Kxd8 10.Bg5+ is a double check from the bishop and the rook on d1; 10…Kc7 11.Bd8# (or 10…Ke8 11.Rd8#).
Why it works
Against a normal check you have three answers: move, block or capture. Against a double check only the king move is left, which is why so many combinations end with a queen sacrifice that drags the king into a double check.
How to defend against it
If an enemy piece stands between your king and a rook, bishop or queen, treat it as a loaded gun. Move your king off the line, or take the piece, before it can move with check.
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