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Chess Moment · Learn · Lesson 4

Checks, captures, threats

The scan to run before every move: your checks, your captures, their threats.

4 min · 4 steps

This is the written edition of an interactive lesson. In the app you play every position on the board; here you read it.

Step 1 · Your checks and captures

White to move

FEN: r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p2Q/2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNB1K1NR w KQkq - 4 4

Before moving, check the opponent’s threats, then compare your checks, captures and threats.

Three queen captures are possible. Which one is checkmate?

Quick check

  • Queen takes f7
  • Queen takes e5
  • Queen takes h7
Show the correct answer

Correct answer: Queen takes f7 — Yes. Queen takes f7 is check, the king cannot take back because your bishop on c4 guards f7, and nothing can block or capture. Checkmate.

  • Queen takes e5 — Check, yes — but the knight on c6 simply takes your queen on e5.
  • Queen takes h7 — The queen takes a pawn on h7, but the rook on h8 takes her right back. A capture is only good if you count what comes next.

Step 2 · Play it

White to move

FEN: r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p2Q/2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNB1K1NR w KQkq - 4 4

Queen takes f7.

The move: Qh5xf7

Checkmate. The king cannot capture on f7 — your bishop on c4 guards it — and a check from next door cannot be blocked.

Common mistake: The game is not over. Queen takes f7 is mate: the bishop on c4 guards the queen.

Step 3 · Their threats

White to move

FEN: rnb1k1nr/pppp1ppp/8/2b1p3/4P2q/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 4

Now the other half of the scan: what does your opponent want to do next move? Black's queen on h4 and bishop on c5 both look at your side of the board.

What is Black threatening?

Quick check

  • Queen takes f2 — checkmate
  • Queen takes e4 — a pawn, with check
  • Queen takes h2
Show the correct answer

Correct answer: Queen takes f2 — checkmate — Right. Only your king defends f2, and the bishop on c5 covers f2 too — so the king could not take back. That is mate next move unless you act.

  • Queen takes e4 — a pawn, with check — True, that is a threat too — but a pawn is small. Always find the biggest threat first: the one against your king.
  • Queen takes h2 — Queen takes h2 costs Black the queen: the rook on h1 takes her back. Look at the square your king alone protects.

Step 4 · Stop the mate

White to move

FEN: rnb1k1nr/pppp1ppp/8/2b1p3/4P2q/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 4

Defend f2 with a piece — the queen or the knight can do it.

The move: Qd1-e2

f2 is covered now. If the queen took there she would be captured — the threat is gone.

Common mistake: Black can still take on f2 with check. Defend f2 directly: queen to e2, queen to f3, or knight to h3.

What you learned

Before moving, check the opponent’s threats, then compare your checks, captures and threats.

Practise this idea

Public-domain positions that turn on exactly what this lesson taught.