Overloaded pieces
When one piece has two jobs, take one of the things it guards, and the other is left unprotected.
The idea
A defender with two jobs cannot do both of them.
- The rook on d8 is the only defender of the knight.
- It also guards e8, so that White cannot mate there.
- White takes the knight. Taking back would allow mate on e8.
In a game: When one enemy piece guards two things, take one of them and see whether the other falls.
How the lesson begins
A piece is overloaded when it has two jobs at once and cannot do both. Here the black rook on d8 is the only defender of the knight on d5. It also guards the back rank, so that White’s rook on e1 cannot land on e8.
White takes the knight. Press Next move.
- 1. Rxd5 The rook takes the knight.
- 1... Rxd5 Suppose Black takes back. The rook has left the back rank.
- 2. Re8# Checkmate: the king is shut in by its own pawns. So Black must not take back, and White has simply won a knight.
A question
White to move. Your bishop attacks the knight on d5, and your rook attacks the knight on f5. Which black piece is overloaded?
Show the answer
The pawn on e6, the only defender of both knights.
Right. The pawn guards d5 and f5 at the same time. Whichever knight White takes, the pawn can take back on only one of the two squares.