Pinning the pinner

[ganstaman]

I don't know if this is a viable thread or not, but if Tex can do it...

I was playing the black side of the 5+2 game. I was actually doing well (ie I didn't have a losing position, it was pretty much equal) but then walked into a pin. White held the pin for a couple moves, reaching this position with me, black to play, white having just played 26. Rd6, threatening the pinned rook and the loose bishop:



I nearly resigned. Took me too much time to see that I could still have an equal position with 26...Bb5, pinning the bishop that's pinning my rook. I realized that I had seen a similar idea before in the wacky Sicilian opening I play:

1. e4 c5 2. Na3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. g3 Nxe4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxe4 Bc6 leading to:



The idea of ...Nxe4 Qa4+ and Qxe4 isn't so uncommon, but here I had played g2-g3, so ...Bc6 skewers my queen to my rook, threatening to make that trap pretty horrible. But 7. Bb5 saves the day, pinning the skewering bishop, and remaining protected by the knight on a3 that everyone thinks is otherwise useless.

I'm not sure if this shows up elsewhere, but I think it's something worth seeing if you haven't seen it before. I'd be interested in seeing this tactic in other games if anyone has any.

[wlrs]

Here White played a devious move: 1.Rg1. Maybe you can predict the rest

Spoiler:

1.Rg1 Bxe2 2.Qxe2 Rc2 3.Rc1. Also featured: one of the prettiest tactical motifs, the cross-pin

[TexAg06]

Originally Posted by ganstaman

I don't know if this is a viable thread or not, but if Tex can do it...

This is nowhere close to a Tex thread...it's much more instructive haha. Seriously though, good examples from both. I think the cross-pin might be one of the most infrequently used tactics, probably because it occurs so rarely. But I think this is a great motif and can really surprise an opponent who might otherwise think he's winning.

[F_Ivanovic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwoiRHBUsk8 - a kc video here of some of Tal's games. In the 2nd game near the end there's a nice cross pin (28 minutes in) - blacks bishop is threatening whites queen but is pinned to it's own king and white uses this pin with the nice Ra8!

[ganstaman]

Originally Posted by F_Ivanovic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwoiRHBUsk8 - a kc video here of some of Tal's games. In the 2nd game near the end there's a nice cross pin (28 minutes in) - blacks bishop is threatening whites queen but is pinned to it's own king and white uses this pin with the nice Ra8!

Wow. Here's the game: Tal - Brinck-Claussen 1966



Here, white (Tal) played 33. Nxd5 Bxd5 34. Ra8!

[meekrab]

I see this motif in my games a fair amount but it usually just results in hanging a piece instead of losing an exchange.