Skewers are powerful tactics that exploit the alignment of two enemy pieces on a rank, file, or diagonal. The attacking piece (typically a bishop, rook, or queen) attacks the more valuable piece first, forcing it to move and exposing the piece behind it. The most devastating skewer involves attacking the king, which must move by rule, thereby losing the piece behind it.
A common skewer pattern occurs in rook endgames where a rook checks the king from behind a passed pawn. The king must move, and the rook captures the defending piece. Similarly, bishops often skewer a queen and rook along a diagonal, winning the exchange.
To set up skewers, look for opportunities to align enemy pieces on the same line. Preliminary moves that force pieces onto vulnerable squares can create skewer opportunities. Like all tactics, recognizing skewer patterns becomes automatic with practice.