Beginner tactic · 1 of 11
The hanging piece
A piece that can be taken for free, because nothing defends it or too little does.
- Learn how it worksThree examples with Capra. You play each one yourself.Three examples with CapraStart the lesson
- Practise on real puzzlesPractise on puzzles80 hanging piece puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
Three ways a piece is left hanging
A piece hangs when you can take it and lose nothing. That can be true even when the piece seems to be defended.
No defender
The rook has taken a knight that nothing guarded.
Too few defenders
The bishop was attacked twice and guarded once. The knight has taken the bishop, and the rook backs the knight up.
A pinned defender
The bishop has taken the knight. The pawn on g7 cannot take back, because the rook pins that pawn to the king.
Hanging pieces in numbers
Counted from the 9,382 hanging pieces in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 30
of our puzzles has a hanging piece in it.
- 63%
of them end in checkmate.
- 49%
of them come in the middlegame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Queen51%
- Rook26%
- King8%
- Knight7%
- Bishop5%
What it wins
- Checkmate63%
- Queen9%
- Rook9%
- Bishop3%
- Knight2%
Good to know
Hanging pieces: common questions
What is a hanging piece in chess?
A hanging piece is a piece that can be captured for free. Usually nothing defends it. A piece also hangs when it has fewer defenders than attackers, or when its only defender is pinned or busy with another job.
How do I spot a hanging piece?
After every move, look at each enemy piece and ask what defends it. Then count. If more of your pieces attack it than enemy pieces defend it, you can usually win it by capturing with your cheapest piece first.
What is the difference between a hanging piece and a trapped piece?
A hanging piece can be taken right now. A trapped piece may be defended for the moment, but it has no safe square to move to, so one more attack wins it.
How do I stop leaving my own pieces hanging?
Before you let go of a piece, check two things: what defends the piece on its new square, and what the piece was defending on its old one. Then look at every capture your opponent can make.