Hanging pieces: taking them, and not leaving them
Two-thirds of the material that changes hands below 1200 changes hands for nothing at all. Somebody left something. Somebody else saw it.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 496–2292
- Section: First Moves
- 5 levels
What a hanging piece is
A piece is hanging when it can be captured and nothing recaptures. That is the whole definition, and it sounds too simple to need training until you count how many you miss in your own games.
The reason it needs training is that pieces do not usually start hanging. They become hanging, because the piece that was defending them moved somewhere else, and the move that made the capture possible was not the move that put the piece there.
How to spot it
- After your opponent moves, ask what that move stopped defending. Not what it attacks -- what it abandoned.
- Scan the whole board for pieces of yours and theirs that nothing is protecting. Loose pieces drop off.
- Watch every piece that is pinned or overloaded: it counts as a defender on paper and often is not one in reality.
- Look at long diagonals and open files last, because that is where a piece can be attacked from three squares away by something you were not looking at.
Three free pieces to find
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
29.Na4 29...Qxd1#
The line ends in checkmate. Nothing defends the piece that gets taken, and it became undefended one move earlier when its protector moved.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 496 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
82.Kf2 82...Kxc4 83.Rb8 83...Kb3
The line wins a piece. Nothing defends the piece that gets taken, and it became undefended one move earlier when its protector moved.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1336 for difficulty. The answer reaches a winning advantage.
Position 3
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
17.Nxd4 17...Rxd4 18.Bxg4+ 18...Rxg4
The line wins a piece. Nothing defends the piece that gets taken, and it became undefended one move earlier when its protector moved.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1883 for difficulty. The answer reaches a clear advantage.
How to stop hanging pieces yourself
Use the same check every single move, and use it before you move rather than after: if I play this, what of mine is left undefended, and what checks or captures does it allow? It takes a few seconds and it is worth more than any opening preparation at this level.
The other half is time. Most hung pieces are hung in the last thirty seconds of a blitz game by players who would have seen it instantly in a ten-minute game. If you are hanging pieces constantly, the fastest fix available to you is playing a slower time control.
Questions people ask
What does hanging a piece mean in chess?
Leaving a piece where the opponent can capture it and nothing of yours can recapture. It is the single most common way material is lost by players below about 1400.
How do I stop hanging pieces in chess?
Run the same three-part check before every move: what did their last move change, what of mine is now undefended, and what checks or captures does my intended move allow? Consistency matters more than depth -- a shallow check done every move beats a deep one done occasionally.
Why do I hang pieces even when I am not in time trouble?
Usually because you are checking the piece you are moving and not the squares it was covering. A defender that moves takes its defence with it, and that is the blind spot: the piece that ends up hanging is rarely the piece you just touched.
Nearby patterns
Free Pieces sits in First Moves. The rest of that section:
Printable worksheetsThree free PDF sheets of these positions with a full answer key. No sign-up, print and copy as many as you like.