Advanced tactic · 7 of 15
The exposed king
A king with no pawns in front of him is chased with checks until he is mated or loses a piece.
- Learn how it worksThree examples with Capra. You play each one yourself.Three examples with CapraStart the lesson
- Practise on real puzzlesPractise on puzzles80 exposed king puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
Three ways to hunt a king
A king without pawn cover can be checked from far away, and every check tells him where to go.
Check, then mate
The queen checks on the open file. The rook mates on the h-file next move.
Check, then fork
The queen checks on the open file. The king must go to the corner, where a fork is waiting.
Take the last pawn
The rook takes the last pawn with check. The king has to take it and stand in the open.
Exposed kings in numbers
Counted from the 3,415 exposed kings in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 85
of our puzzles has an exposed king in it.
- 27%
of them win the queen. No other prize is as common.
- 64%
of them come in the endgame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Rook40%
- Queen30%
- Pawn11%
- Bishop8%
- Knight7%
What it wins
- Queen27%
- Rook26%
- Checkmate23%
- Bishop5%
- Knight3%
Good to know
Exposed kings: common questions
What is an exposed king in chess?
An exposed king is a king with no pawns or pieces to shelter him. The pawns in front of him have been pushed, traded or taken, so enemy queens and rooks can check him along open files and diagonals.
How do I attack an exposed king?
Use checks. Each check limits where the king can go, so look for the check that leaves him one square, then look for the next one. Bring a second piece if you can, because a queen alone rarely gives mate.
Should I sacrifice to expose a king?
When the king has one or two pawns left and your heavy pieces are close, often yes. Giving up a rook or a bishop for the last pawn is worth it if the checks that follow lead to mate or win the material back.
How do I keep my own king safe?
Castle early, and leave the pawns in front of your king where they are unless you have a good reason to move them. If your cover is gone, trade queens, because most attacks on a king need a queen.