--- title: "Combination in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A combination is a forcing sequence of moves, usually built from sacrifices and checks. A combination is a short calculated sequence, not a single trick." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-attack.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Combination in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. A combination is a forcing sequence of moves, usually built from sacrifices and checks. A combination is a short calculated sequence, not a single trick. A combination is a forcing sequence of moves, usually built from sacrifices and checks, in which every move leaves the opponent few or no choices and the sequence ends in a concrete gain such as mate or material. A combination is a short calculated sequence, not a single trick. Each move makes a threat that must be answered, so the opponent's replies are forced, and you can see the end of the line before you play the first move. Because the defender has no free moves, you are allowed to give something up along the way, often a queen or a rook, as long as the final position pays you back with a mate or with more material than you spent. To spot one, start with the targets. Look at the opponent's king and ask whether it has escape [squares](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md). Look for loose or overloaded pieces, a weak back rank, and pieces that are protected only once. Then list your forcing moves in order: checks first, then [captures](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture.md), then threats. A combination almost always begins with one of these, and it often begins with the move that looks worst at first because it gives material away. To use one, calculate every reply the opponent can make, not just the one you expect. At each step ask whether the reply is truly the only legal move, or whether a different reply refutes your idea. Play the whole line through in your head before you commit. To defend against combinations, watch for your own weaknesses: an unprotected back rank, a piece that guards two things at once, and a king with no air. A luft or an extra defender takes the combination away. In the diagram White to move plays Qxd8+. Black's king on g8 has no flight square, so the rook must take: Rxd8. Then Rxd8 is [checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md), because the pawns on f7, g7 and h7 block the king in. White gave up a queen for a forced mate in three plies. ## Example position White to move plays Qxd8+, giving up the queen. The only reply is Rxd8, and then Rxd8 is checkmate on the back rank, since the black pawns on f7, g7 and h7 trap the king. Position (FEN): `2rq2k1/5ppp/8/3Q4/8/8/5PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1` A neighboring idea is [Clearance sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/clearance-sacrifice.md). A clearance sacrifice gives up material to remove a piece from a square, file, rank or diagonal, so that another of your pieces can use that line or square for a winning or mating move. Compare it with [Desperado piece](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/desperado-piece.md). A desperado is a doomed piece that cashes in before it dies: it captures or gives check, taking the most it can from the position instead of being lost for nothing. Also worth reading is [Greek gift sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/greek-gift-sacrifice.md). The Greek gift sacrifice is a bishop sacrifice on h7, or h2 for Black, played as Bxh7+ Kxh7, followed by a knight check on g5 and the queen coming to the h-file to attack the exposed king. Knowing "Combination" helps most once you can spot it in a real game. A [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) with George Li starts from your own games and finds the tactics you keep missing. ## Related terms - [Back rank mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md) - [Queen sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md) - [Deflection](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Double attack](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-attack.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Back rank mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md) - [Queen sacrifice in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md) - [Deflection in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Double attack in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-attack.md) - [Chess terms: Tactics and combinations](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)