Absolute pin
An absolute pin is a pin in which the piece behind the pinned piece is the king, so the pinned piece cannot legally move off the line at all.
Also called: pin to the king
In an absolute pin, the king is the piece standing behind. A piece that moved off the line would leave the king in check, and that is against the rules, so the pinned piece simply cannot move off the line. It can still move along the line of the pin, for example a pinned rook can still capture the pinning rook, but it cannot leave it.
Because the pinned piece cannot move, it cannot take part in the fight, and it cannot capture anything outside the line. This makes it a stable target. A pinned piece also cannot capture anything off the line, so its protection of other squares is often only on paper. You can attack it again, with a pawn for example, and win it, because it cannot run.
To find absolute pins, look for an enemy piece standing between your bishop, rook or queen and the enemy king on the same line. To avoid them, keep your king off lines where your pieces stand in front of it, or break the pin before it costs you, usually by moving the king, blocking, or taking the pinning piece.
In the diagram White to move plays d5. The bishop on b5 already pins the knight on c6 to the king on e8, so the knight cannot move. The pawn attacks the knight, and because the knight cannot run, White wins it with dxc6 next move.
Also worth reading is Pin. A pin ties a piece to its square: a bishop, rook or queen attacks it, and stepping aside would expose a more valuable piece standing behind it on the same line.
It sits close to Attraction. Attraction is a tactic that draws the enemy king or queen onto a square where it can be checked, forked or mated, usually by offering a piece that cannot safely be refused.
Compare it with Relative pin. A relative pin is a pin in which the piece behind the pinned piece is more valuable but is not the king, so the pinned piece may legally move but would lose that piece.
Knowing "Absolute pin" helps most once you can spot it in a real game. A first lesson with George Li starts from your own games and finds the tactics you keep missing.
Related terms
A pin ties a piece to its square: a bishop, rook or queen attacks it, and stepping aside would expose a more valuable piece standing behind it on the same line.
A relative pin is a pin in which the piece behind the pinned piece is more valuable but is not the king, so the pinned piece may legally move but would lose that piece.
A skewer attacks a valuable piece that stands in front of a less valuable one on the same line. The front piece must run, and the piece behind it is then taken.
A discovered check is a check from a piece that did not move: a bishop, rook or queen is unmasked when the piece in front of it leaves the line to the king.
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