FoxyChess › Tactics › Hanging Piece
Hanging Piece
A piece that is attacked and not defended, so it can simply be taken for free. Spotting hanging pieces, yours and your opponent's, wins more club games than anything else.
How to spot it
On every move, look at each piece on the board and ask: is it attacked, and is it defended? A piece that is attacked and not defended is hanging, and can simply be taken. Do this for your opponent's pieces and, just as carefully, for your own.
A worked example
The bishop on e5 is attacked by the queen on e2 and defended by nothing. 1.Qxe5 wins it for free.
Why it works
Most games below master level are decided not by brilliant combinations but by someone leaving a piece where it can be taken. Spotting hanging pieces costs nothing and is the first thing a strong player checks.
How to defend against it
Develop pieces to squares where they protect each other, and after your opponent's move check which of your pieces that move now attacks. 'Loose pieces drop off' is the oldest advice in chess, and still the best.
Solve them at your own level, from beginner to expert, then spot them in your own games against Foxy, 32 bots and real players. Free to join, no card needed.
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