What chess tactics are covered in the 28-day Chess Tactics course?

The course covers pins, forks, back-rank combinations, skewers, double checks, discovered attacks, deflection, clearance, interference, decoys, and checkmate patterns.

How can I use checks, captures, and threats to find tactical moves in chess?

Start by scanning forcing moves—checks, captures, and threats—then calculate the opponent’s best replies and compare the resulting positions.

What is the difference between a pin, skewer, and fork in chess?

A pin restricts a piece from moving, a skewer attacks a valuable piece ahead of a lesser one, and a fork attacks two or more targets at once.

Free online course Chess tactics

Duration of the online course: 7 hours and 2 minutes

(10)

Sharpen your chess vision fast with a free tactics course: pins, forks, checkmates and calculation drills to win material and spot threats confidently.

In this free course, learn about

How to spot and use pins to win material or create threats
Knight forks and double attacks: targeting two pieces/king at once
Back-rank tactics: exploiting trapped kings and weak back-rank mates
Double check and discovered check: creating forcing sequences on the king
Skewers and discovered attacks: line tactics to win higher-value pieces
Double threats and forcing-move search: checks, captures, threats hierarchy
Removal of the guard, deflection, decoy: eliminating/redirecting defenders
Interference and clearance: blocking lines and clearing squares/files for tactics
Perpetual check: when and how to force a draw from a worse position
Promoting pawns with tactics: using forcing play to queen safely
Key checkmate patterns (e.g., rook/pawn-supported mates and named patterns)
Advanced themes: annihilation of defense, blockade, pawn-structure demolition
Training process: a 4-step tactical thought method and why it improves results
How studying tactical miniatures and complete games builds pattern recall

About the free online course

Winning more games often comes down to one skill: seeing tactics before your opponent does. This free online course helps you build that tactical eye day by day, turning messy positions into clear opportunities. You will train to recognize forcing moves, sense when a piece is overloaded, and convert small advantages into material wins or direct attacks on the king.

Instead of relying on luck or hoping for blunders, you will learn a repeatable way to think in tactical positions. You will practice identifying candidate moves, prioritizing checks, captures and threats, and then calculating with purpose. That structure makes it easier to stay calm under time pressure and to avoid the common trap of spotting a clever idea but missing the opponent’s best reply.

As you progress, you will develop pattern recognition for the most practical tactical themes used in real games: pins, skewers, forks and double attacks, discovered attacks and discovered checks, deflection and decoys, clearance and interference, removing key defenders, and ideas like perpetual check when you need a resource to save the game. You will also strengthen your ability to finish, by internalizing reliable checkmating patterns and learning how pawn promotion tactics can decide endgames instantly.

The training is built around short lessons and targeted questions that encourage active thinking rather than passive watching. By repeatedly solving positions and reflecting on why a move works, you’ll improve visualization, calculation depth, and your sense of timing for when to strike. You’ll also see why studying complete tactical games can accelerate improvement, because it teaches you how tactics emerge from sensible moves and consistent pressure.

Whether chess is a hobby you love or a competitive goal you take seriously, this course is designed to help you spot threats faster, create them more often, and convert them more accurately. By the end, you should feel more confident entering sharp positions, more disciplined in your calculations, and more prepared to punish mistakes with clean, forcing play.

Course content

Video class: 28 Days To Better Chess Tactics - Day 1 - Pins! 14m
Exercise: In chess, what is the primary goal when identifying tactical opportunities?
Video class: 28 Days To Better Chess Tactics - Day 2 - Knight Forks! 17m
Exercise: _In chess, what is a knight fork?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - Day 3 - Back Rank Combos! 15m
Exercise: _In back rank combination, what is the main objective of the opponent's attack on the king?

Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - Day 4 - DOUBLE ATTACK/FORKS! 17m
Exercise: _In the given position, what move can white make to create a double attack?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 5 - DOUBLE CHECKS 19m
Exercise: _What is the first step in the four-part thought process for finding tactical moves?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 6 - SKEWERS! 15m
Exercise: _In which position does the player have multiple checks and captures to choose from?

Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 7 - DOUBLE THREATS! 15m
Exercise: _In chess, what is a double threat?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 8 - REMOVAL OF THE GUARD! 11m
Exercise: _In the first position, what is the best move for White to remove the guard of the black Queen?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 9 - PERPETUAL CHECK 08m
Exercise: _In chess, when can perpetual check be used as a saving grace?

Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 10 - DISCOVERED CHECKS 13m
Exercise: _In the example position given, what are the two forcing moves that White has?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 11 - PROMOTING PAWNS 10m
Exercise: _In the position 1, what is the forcing tactic that white can use to promote their pawn?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 12 - CHECKMATE PATTERNS! 12m
Exercise: _What is the name of the checkmate pattern where the pawn supports a rook checkmate along the last file or rank depending on where the king is?

Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 13 - CHECKMATE PATTERNS 2 10m
Exercise: _What is the name of position 20 in the 34 checkmate patterns?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 14 - ANNIHILATION OF DEFENSE/ADVANCED 29m
Exercise: Which step is part of the four-step thought process mentioned?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 15 - BLOCKADE! ADVANCED TACTICS 22m
Exercise: _What is the purpose of a blockade in chess?

Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 16 - CLEARANCE! 27m
Exercise: _What is clearance in chess tactics?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 17 - DEFLECTION! 25m
Exercise: _In chess, what is deflection?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 18 - DISCOVERED ATTACK! 18m
Exercise: _In the given position, what is the best move for White?

Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 19 - PINNING! CUBA EDITION 22m
Exercise: _In the given position, what is the best move for white to make according to the four-part thought process?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - 20 - DEMOLITION OF PAWN STRUCTURE! 07m
Exercise: _What is the best move for black in the given position?
Video class: 28 Days To Better Chess Tactics - Day 21 - Decoy Attacking Chess 06m
Exercise: _In the first position, what is the most forcing move for White to play?

Video class: AMAZING INTERFERENCE TACTICS! - Day 22 - 28 Days To Better Chess Tactics 09m
Exercise: _In the first position, what is the best move for White to interfere with Black's threats?
Video class: 28 Days To Better Chess Tactics - Day 23 - Double Attack 10m
Exercise: _In the first position, what is the best move for White to win material?
Video class: 28 DAYS TO BETTER CHESS TACTICS - DAY 24 - Tips & Miniatures! 13m

Video class: Drawing Conclusions - Day 25 - 28 Days To Better Chess Tactics 06m
Exercise: _What is the purpose of having a conscious thought process while training in chess?
Video class: Calculation & Visualization Chess Tactics 2 Tips - Day 26 09m
Exercise: _What is the recommended method to practice visualization and calculation after solving a puzzle in ChessDiagnostic's "28 Days to Better Chess Tactics"?
Video class: The Marshall ATTACK - Day 27 - Complete Tactical Games 21m
Exercise: _What is the benefit of studying complete tactical games in chess?