FoxyChess › Tactics › Queenside Attack
Queenside Attack
Puzzles where the play happens on the queenside, against a king that has castled long or against weak queenside pawns.
How to spot it
Against a king that has castled long, the targets are a2, b2 and c2 (or a7, b7, c7). Open the b-file with a pawn storm, get the queen and a knight near the king, and look for sacrifices on a2 or b2 once the defenders are overloaded.
A worked example
Black to move. 1…Qxa2+! can't be taken because of the rook on a8. After 2.Kc1 Qa1# the bishop on c3 and the rook complete the net.
Why it works
A king on the queenside often has fewer defenders than one on the kingside, because most pieces develop towards the centre and the kingside. Open files towards it appear quickly after a pawn push or two.
How to defend against it
If you castle queenside, keep a knight on d2 or c3 and don't let the b-file open. A king that steps to b1 and keeps the a2 and c2 pawns home is much harder to get at.
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