If you <LINE UP> your pieces, then there is *NO* *NEED* for <DECOYS>, as you have *ALREADY* <LINED UP> your pieces for me to <PIN>, <SKEWER>, and <FORK>.

WHEN YOU ATTACK AN ENEMY PIECE WITH ONE OF YOUR LINE PIECES, YOU FORM THE PREREQUISITE FOR A DISCOVERED ATTACK. The problem is that the attacker is thinking only about attacking the enemy piece on that <SQUARE>, not about the <LINE>. That is, the attacker is not considering that he is <LINING UP> his attacking line piece with the enemy piece along a <LINE> and that this alignment could possibly be turned into a <DISCOVERED ATTACK>. The attacker is thinking only about the attacked <SQUARE> but in chess <SQUARES> and <LINES> are co-equal.

For example, in the Alekhine vs Lasker 1914 game, Alekhine blundered with 41 ♖d7?, attacking the Black d5-knight. Why was this rook move a blunder? <BECAUSE ALEKHINE WAS THINKING -ONLY- ABOUT THE d5-SQUARE, NOT ABOUT THE LINE!> That is, Alekhine placed his White rook on d7 to attack the Black d5-knight on that <SQUARE> (d5). Alekhine missed the importance of his White d7-rook now being on the same <LINE> (d-file) as the Black d5-knight. And since the White d7-rook was <UNDEFENDED> and the Black d5-knight can give <CHECK>, Dr. Lasker saw that the alignment <White d7-rook + Black d5-knight> gave him the possibility of creating a <DISCOVERED ATTACK WITH CHECK>, which he executed with 41 ... ♖d3!, winning an exchange.

DO NOT THINK ONLY ABOUT THE SQUARE: ALSO THINK ABOUT THE LINE(!)

IF YOU LINE UP YOUR PIECES, THEN THE REASON WHY SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER

ATTACK an enemy piece with a line piece

BLOCK the attack of an enemy line piece

CAPTURE an enemy piece or square (Nakamura game below) with the support of one of your line pieces

DEFEND one of your pieces with one of your own line pieces

FORM a battery along a line.

In all of these cases above, <A>-<B>-<C>-<D>-<F>, you have lined up your pieces either with each other so the enemy can <PIN/SKEWER/FORK> them or with an enemy piece so that the enemy can create a <DISCOVERED ATTACK>, and the reason why you lined up your pieces this way in the first place is -completely- irrelevant.

IF YOU LINE UP YOUR PIECES, THEN THE REASON WHY SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER

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Ivanchuk vs Aronian, 2008

Position after 36 ♕f5-f4

click for larger view

This game, Ivanchuk vs Aronian, 2008, is my new teaching example for my tactical lesson <IF YOU LINE UP YOUR PIECES, THE REASON WHY SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER>.

Here Ivanchuk has just played 36 ♕f5-f4, in order to <DEFEND> his White a4-bishop. However, he has also just <LINED UP> his f4-queen with his a4-bishop along the 4th rank, which is not a good alignment because the White a4-bishop cannot move along the line on which it is lined up.

In fact, I have a special term for this type of White a4-bishop + White f4-queen alignment: <BAD ALIGNMENT>. <BAD ALIGNMENTS> are rooks lined up with something on diagonals, bishops lined up with something on ranks or files, and knights lined up with something on ranks, files, or diagonals. These pieces are just waiting to be -victimized- by the alignment because they cannot move along the line of the alignment and hence do not control squares along it.

Why are such <ALIGNMENTS BAD>? See the game continuation here. After 36 ... ♖d8-c8 37 ♖g5-g3??, Aronian (Black) struck with the simple tactic 37 ... ♖c8-c4, <FORKING> the White a4-bishop and f4-queen that White -conveniently- lined up for Black.

Position after 36 ... ♖d8-c8 37 ♖g5-g3?? ♖c8-c4 <rook fork>

click for larger view

<Again, the reason why the White a4-bishop is lined up with the White f4-queen for the <ROOK FORK> 37 ... ♖c8-c4 does not matter. <IF YOU LINE UP YOUR PIECES, THEN THE REASON WHY SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER!> Aronian just thanks Chucky for lining up his f4-queen and a4-bishop along the 4th rank, <FORKS> them with 37 ... ♖c8-c4, and wins a piece.>

IF YOU LINE UP YOUR PIECES, THEN THE REASON WHY SIMPLY DOES NOT MATTER!

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A great example of this principle is the following fragment from a recent ICC bullet game.

Black to play: 18 ... ?

click for larger view

Here Black could not resist playing 18 ... ♖d8-d2?!, penetrating to the 7th rank with his rook and <FORKING> the White e2-queen and b2-bishop.

Position after 18 ... ♖d8-d2?!

click for larger view

But notice this important point that Nakamura (White) saw. The d2-square was <DEFENDED> by the White e2-queen. So for the Black d8-rook to take the d2-square and occupy it, Black needs the support of the his Black a5-queen.

Whenever you use your line pieces, you must be careful not to <MISPLACE (ALIGNMENT)> your pieces! Here Black sees his Black a5-queen defending/supporting his Black d2-rook. Nakamura, on the other hand, sees a Black piece on d2 lined up =diagonally= with the <UNDEFENDED> Black a5-queen, which is not one but two(!) preconditions for a <PIN>: 1) two pieces of the same color lined up on a file or diagonal, and 2) the rear piece is <UNDEFENDED>.

So seeing these two preconditions for a <PIN>, Nakamura played 19 ♕e2-e1!, <PINNING> the Black d2-rook diagonally to the <UNDEFENDED> Black a5-queen.

Position after 19 ♕e2-e1! <pin>

click for larger view

Like Weteschnik writes, <EVERY UNDEFENDED PIECE IS A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR A PIN>, page 48, "Understanding Chess Tactics".

Event "ICC tourney 303301 (1 0)"
Site "Internet Chess Club"
Date "2007.07.08"
Round "4"
White "Smallville"
Black "manest"
Result "0-1"
ICCResult "White forfeits on time"
WhiteElo "2795"
BlackElo "2371"
Opening "Queen's pawn game, Darooha variation " ECO "D02"
NIC "QP.08"
Time "22:49:17"
TimeControl "60+0"

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 Bf5 4. Bg2 h6 5. O-O c6 6. c4 e6 7. b3 Nbd7 8. Nc3 Bd6 9. Bb2 Ne4 10. Nd2 Ndf6 11. e3 O-O 12. Ncxe4 dxe4 13. Qc2 Qa5 14. a3 Rfd8 15. Nxe4 Be7 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Qe2 c5 18. dxc5 Rd2 19. Qe1 Bxb2 20. Ra2 Qc3 21. Bxb7 Rf8 22. c6 e5 23. c7 Bc8 24. Bd5 Bh3 25. Rxb2 Qxb2 26. Qc1 Qxc1 27. Rxc1 Rc8 28. Bg2 Bxg2 29. Kxg2 Rxc7 30. b4 e4 31. c5 Rd3 32. a4 Kf8 33. Rc4 f5 34. b5 Ke7 35. c6 Kd6 36. g4 g6 37. Rb4 Rd5 38. a5 Rc5 39. b6 axb6 40. axb6 Rc8 41. b7 Rb8 42. gxf5 Kc7 43. fxg6 Rxc6 44. g7 Rg6+ 45. Kf1 Rxg7 46. Rc4+ Kxb7 47. Rxe4 Kc8 48. Rc4+ Rc7 49. Re4 Rbb7 50. Kg2 Rb2 51. Rd4 Rb6 52. Rd1 Rg6+ 53. Kf1 Rf6 54. Re1 Rcf7 55. Re2 Rxf2+ 56. Rxf2 Re7 57. Re2 Rd7 58. Rc2+ Kd8 59. Rd2 Ke8 60. Ke1 Rf7 61. Rd3 Re7 62. Rd4 Rd7 White forfeits on time
0-1