Tactical motifs · Master
trapped piece
← overloaded piece All motifs passive sacrifice →
The idea
A piece has gone too far or become cramped, and every square it could retreat to is covered by enemy pieces. You attack it — and it has nowhere to run.
The gain does not come at once: first the piece is shut in, then it is attacked.
How it looks
The classic case: a bishop takes a rook-pawn and gets stuck — there is no way back — and a pawn move traps it.
A knight on the edge is another frequent victim: it has few squares to begin with, and on the rim there are almost none.
How to spot it
After grabbing a pawn deep in enemy territory, always check the way home. The question is simple: how do I get out of there?
When trapping a piece yourself, take away the escape squares first and attack only then. Attack too early and the piece runs away.
Often confused with
Blocking (where own pieces are in the way) and a hanging piece. A hanging piece simply stands undefended and is taken at once. A trapped piece may well be defended — that does not save it, because it cannot move.