zwischenzug

The idea

In the middle of a forcing sequence, when it seems you must recapture at once, you insert a completely different move — usually a check or a stronger attack. Your opponent is obliged to answer it, and only then do you make the expected capture — but now in a changed, more favourable situation.

How it looks

Your opponent takes your piece and you automatically take back. But you could give check first: the king goes to a worse square, and only then do you take the very same piece, now with a bonus.

How to spot it

The hard part is not seeing the move but remembering to look for it at all. Calculation usually stops at the "natural" recapture, and the in-between move is never considered.

A habit that helps: before recapturing, ask yourself — is there a check? The piece is not running anywhere; you can take it a move later.

Often confused with

Nothing — it is simply missed. It is the least visible of all the tactics, and that is exactly why it comes last.