Counterattack
A counterattack is a reply to a threat that answers it with a threat of your own instead of defending, usually a larger one, so the opponent has to deal with yours first.
When you are attacked, the natural reaction is to defend. Sometimes the better answer is to attack. A counterattack works when your threat is faster or heavier than theirs, for instance a mate that arrives before their capture, or a check that gains a tempo.
The idea is a race. Count how many moves each side needs, and who gives check first. A forcing reply such as a check, a capture that gains material, or a mate threat takes priority over a quiet defense. In practice, you can ask two questions: what does my opponent threaten, and can I make a bigger threat that comes first?
Counterattacking also helps in positions where a defense is awkward or would cost too many pieces. It is often used by a player whose king looks safer than the attacker's, or who has strong open lines. The risk is miscounting. If their threat is quicker, your counter loses on the spot. Always calculate the opponent's best sequence after your move, not only your own. Another mistake is counterattacking when a simple defensive move solves everything and keeps the position healthy.
Compare it with Zwischenzug. A zwischenzug, German for in-between move, interrupts a sequence both sides expect: instead of recapturing or answering a threat at once, a player slips in a check or bigger threat first.
A neighboring idea is Mating attack. A mating attack is a sustained assault on the enemy king, usually built from several pieces and often with sacrifices, whose aim is checkmate rather than winning material.
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Related terms
A double attack is one move that creates two threats at once, whether they come from a single piece or from two, and whether they aim at pieces or at checkmate.
In a discovered attack one of your pieces steps off a line, and that move unmasks a bishop, rook or queen standing behind it, so a single turn produces two threats.
A zwischenzug, German for in-between move, interrupts a sequence both sides expect: instead of recapturing or answering a threat at once, a player slips in a check or bigger threat first.
A mating attack is a sustained assault on the enemy king, usually built from several pieces and often with sacrifices, whose aim is checkmate rather than winning material.
A perpetual check is a run of checks that the defending king cannot sidestep, so the same positions recur and the game is drawn by repetition, rescuing the side that was losing.
A tactic is a short, forcing sequence of moves that exploits a concrete feature of the position, such as a fork, pin or unprotected piece, to win material, deliver mate or reach a clear gain.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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