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Discovered Attack Tactic-- OTB Examples
Compiled by ChessCoachClark
--*--

The Discovery Attack or Discovered Attack is one of the top five tactics that chess players should know. It occurs with great frequency and can be an amazing demonstration of one's skill.

This technique applies to two chessmen on the same line to attack either one or two other chessmen, even where the two attackers are focused on just one target. The chessman in the front moves, which uncovers the line of power by the one in the back to attack on that line. So, there is one dynamic chessman and a passive one, both working to make things difficult for the defender.

WGM Jennifer Shahade has a very expressive name for this tactic-- the Peek-a-Boo move! She will describe an appropriate ply as "the Boo! Moment" as well. It should make it easy for the younger chess students to remember this highly important tool for building a winning game.

Another way to describe this tactic is that one line has two attackers along it. When the one in front moves out of the way, the other one, in the back, in automatically attacking. The first piece may attack the same piece as the other piece (in the back) or a different one. The Discovered Attack is therefore a Double Check when both attackers focus on the other King. The most beautiful example is Reti vs Tartakower, Vienna 1910, included below.

The games where this tactic produced the most dynamically powerful result-- Discovered Mate-- have their own, separate game collection, Discovered Mate Game Examples.

ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection before 2018 and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance.

Be well.
Be safe.

Last move is a Discovered Attack on the Queen and pending Fork
Bergell / Neumann vs Knorre / Cordel, 1865 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 15 moves, 1-0

7. ...g2+ Discovered Check, attack on White Queen and Pawn Fork
J Taylor vs NN, 1874 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 13 moves, 1-0

Discovered Double Check allows checkmate
Kupfer vs Silski, 1881 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 10 moves, 1-0

Continuation Bg1-- Discovered Attack on Queen and Mate Threat
von Popiel vs G Marco, 1902 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 36 moves, 1-0

10. Bb5 is a Discovered Attack that makes a Double Check!
Reti vs Tartakower, 1910 
(B15) Caro-Kann, 11 moves, 1-0

Famous Windmill Combination uses multiple Discovered Checks!!
Torre vs Lasker, 1925 
(A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 43 moves, 1-0

Menchik vs G Thomas, 1932 
(E85) King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox Variation, 24 moves, 1-0

20. Bb1-- Discovered Attack on Bishop at b3 and on h7 (check)
J Pelikan vs Hromadka, 1933
(D55) Queen's Gambit Declined, 22 moves, 1-0

37. f2+ is a Discovered Check and Pawn Kick on Knight
W Mueller vs K Junge, 1942 
(B84) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 38 moves, 0-1

Be4+ is a Discovered Attack with Check
C Guimard vs Kotov, 1946 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 48 moves, 0-1

If 21...Nc4 (Fork) then 22 Qg7+ Kxg7 23 Nf5++ Discovered Check
Simagin vs Polugaevsky, 1961 
(E14) Queen's Indian, 42 moves, 1-0

Ends with Discovered Attack on Queen and mate threat
Antoshin vs B Rabar, 1964 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 21 moves, 1-0

Ends with Discovered Attack that is a capture and check
V Sokolov vs Rusnikov, 1966 
(C56) Two Knights, 20 moves, 1-0

Game ends with Discovery Check that wins Black Queen!
J Richardson vs Marsh, 1969
(C43) Petrov, Modern Attack, 27 moves, 1-0

48. Nf6+ is Discovery Attack with and Check that wins Rook!
L Evans vs Browne, 1971 
(E54) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System, 50 moves, 1-0

Gligoric vs K Commons, 1972 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 54 moves, 1-0

Discovery En Garde with Check wins the White Queen!
D Neukirch vs L Zinn, 1974 
(A42) Modern Defense, Averbakh System, 40 moves, 0-1

30. Nc7+ is a Discovered Attack through the Queen on Black Rook
R Tischbierek vs J Levitt, 1987 
(C18) French, Winawer, 40 moves, 1-0

19. Rxc8+ Discovered Attack with Check wins Bishop
Sveshnikov vs Timman, 1992 
(C02) French, Advance, 28 moves, 1-0

I Svensk vs Svidler, 1992
(C48) Four Knights, 20 moves, 0-1

53. e7+ Discovery Check that is winning
S Luce vs A Maksimenko, 1992
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 54 moves, 1-0

Last move is a Discovered Attack on Queen and Smothered Mate
C Landenbergue vs M Roeder, 1993 
(A45) Queen's Pawn Game, 11 moves, 1-0

Discovery En Garde as Bishop Makes Check (at end)
Velimirovic vs Z Peng, 1995 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 36 moves, 0-1

Pending 30. Nf7+ is a Discovered Attack on the Queen and Check.
Karpov vs Leko, 1996 
(D97) Grunfeld, Russian, 29 moves, 1-0

Van Wely vs Shirov, 1997
(E94) King's Indian, Orthodox, 42 moves, 0-1

Last move is a Discovered Attack on the Knight and the Queen
Z Almasi vs Adams, 1997 
(C89) Ruy Lopez, Marshall, 27 moves, 0-1

Anand vs Lautier, 1997 
(B01) Scandinavian, 25 moves, 1-0

Last move makes a Discovered Attack on the h3 Pawn for mate
P Nikolic vs Topalov, 1997 
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 22 moves, 0-1

Pending 41. Kxh2 Bxf4+ is a Discovered Attack on Queen also
B Lalic vs P Kotsur, 1997 
(A67) Benoni, Taimanov Variation, 40 moves, 0-1

40. Bxc5+ is a Discovered Attack on the SQUARE f7 for mate!
Morozevich vs A Galliamova, 1998 
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 41 moves, 1-0

Last move breaks Pin and makes Discovered Attack on two units
R Stone vs Nijboer, 1999 
(E94) King's Indian, Orthodox, 13 moves, 0-1

E Kengis vs G Hertneck, 2000
(E06) Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3, 33 moves, 1-0

28. Rxb7! sets up a diagonal Discovered Attack
Khalifman vs V Burmakin, 1999 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 29 moves, 1-0

Last move makes Check and Discovered En Garde to win Q!
H Barber vs M Hebden, 2000 
(C68) Ruy Lopez, Exchange, 10 moves, 0-1

18. ... Bf3 makes a Discovered Attack on the Queen and Rook
Sakaev vs S Volkov, 2000
(A43) Old Benoni, 49 moves, 0-1

Continuation 35. cxb3 Ne3+ is a Discovered Attack
Fedorov vs Adianto, 2000 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 34 moves, 0-1

V Burmakin vs Kharlov, 2001
(D29) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 47 moves, 0-1

Last move makes Discovered Attack on Queen and mate threat!
C Weiss vs B Socko, 2001
(A36) English, 38 moves, 1-0

Continuation has a Discovered Attack
Tseitlin vs H Titz, 2002
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 40 moves, 1-0

S Kriventsov vs Gulko, 2002 
(B60) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer, 45 moves, 0-1

Game ends with Check and Discovered En Garde to win Q
N Mitkov vs B Kurajica, 2002 
(B28) Sicilian, O'Kelly Variation, 31 moves, 0-1

EOG is a Discovered Check that is En Garde as well
J Polgar vs E Morricone, 2004 
(C78) Ruy Lopez, 25 moves, 1-0

EOG is a "Royal Double Attack" Check by R and En Garde by N!
F Guido vs Brunello, 2007 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 30 moves, 0-1

19. Qe2 sets up a Discovery Check when Bishop is captured
Bacrot vs Aronian, 2009 
(D44) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 36 moves, 1-0

Game ends with Discovery Check and mate two ways on next move!
Kramnik vs Aronian, 2009 
(A09) Reti Opening, 33 moves, 1-0

EOG is Discovery En Garde and Check!
L Lorenzo de la Riva vs M Munoz Pantoja, 2010
(B33) Sicilian, 41 moves, 0-1

17. ... Bxf3 is a Discovered Attack on the White Queen
Gelfand vs Kamsky, 2011 
(A15) English, 34 moves, 0-1

25. Nxa7+ makes check and Discovery Attack on Black Knight
S Khorramnasab vs R Scholz, 2012
(A03) Bird's Opening, 67 moves, 1-0

13...Bb5 against N and 15. axb5 is Double Attack on Q
Y Yu vs A Zatonskih, 2013 
(C02) French, Advance, 24 moves, 1-0

Ends with Discovered Attack on Queen preventing Back Rank Mate
B Kienboeck vs D Dardha, 2015 
(B33) Sicilian, 23 moves, 0-1

31. Bb8+ is Check with Discovered Attack on Black Queen
Firouzja vs Bluebaum, 2017 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 42 moves, 1-0

Three Discovered Checks by the White Knight
L'Ami vs Van Wely, 2017 
(B45) Sicilian, Taimanov, 45 moves, 1-0

52 games

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