FoxyChess › Tactics › Interference
Interference
Drop a piece onto the line between an enemy piece and the square or piece it defends, cutting the connection.
How to spot it
Two enemy pieces co-operate along a line: a rook defending along the seventh rank, a queen guarding a square from a distance. Put one of your pieces on that line, ideally with check or with a threat, so the connection is cut. If they capture it, the capturing piece is pulled off its job.
A worked example
The rook on e7 guards g7. 1.Nf7+! lands on the rank with check, cutting the rook off from g7 and opening the bishop's diagonal. 1…Rxf7 abandons the e-file: 2.Re8+ Rf8 3.Rxf8#. And 1…Kg8 2.Qxg7#.
Why it works
A defence that depends on one open line can be switched off by placing a piece on that line. The capture is usually forced, and the capturing piece ends up on the wrong square or off the file it was guarding.
How to defend against it
Defences that rely on a single long line are fragile. When your king's safety depends on a rook on the seventh rank or a bishop on a long diagonal, check which enemy pieces could land on that line with check.
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