One of the most common ideas in chess is the early …Bg4 pin. Black develops the bishop, pins your knight, and tries to create pressure against your queen or center. In this lesson, you’ll learn how Bobby Fischer punishes the Bg4 pin on the knight using 3 practical rules.

At first, this can feel annoying. Your knight cannot move freely, and one careless decision can give your opponent easy play.

But Bobby Fischer showed that this pin is not always dangerous for White. In fact, if you understand the right ideas, Black’s active-looking move can quickly become a target.

You’ll learn how to know when decide when the pin can be ignored or know the right moment to challenge the bishop and turn Black’s early activity into a weakness. Here are his practical rules against these pins:

• Don’t respect an unsupported attack
• Counterattack in the center
• Trade off their key attackers

Since pins appear in many openings and middlegame positions, this is a practical lesson every chess player can use.

Fischer Punishes the Bg4 Pin 3 Practical Rules Video Lesson

Below, you can find the Fischer vs Geller game shown in the video:

Learn more tactics Browse the Chess Tactics Lesson Guide. Access lessons on tactical motifs, patterns and combinations across all phases of the game.

These 3 practical Rules of Fischer will surely help you find punishing moves against opponents who attempt Bg4 pin against your knight. You’ll surely improve your chess if you learn how to apply them.

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