this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2025
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If the black knight can't move because it would put himself in check can the white king take the queen? Or would putting the king in D1 or D3 be an illegal move?

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[โ€“] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago

No. You cannot legally put the king into check, even if the piece that targets the king is pinned. Think about it as though you could capture kings. So if you take the Queen, the knight takes the king. Yes, that puts their own king in check, but they've already won by taking your king.

[โ€“] Sendpicsofsandwiches@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The check against the King takes precedent here because any defence has to take place during white's move. Even though the Knight can't move it is still attacking the D1, and D3 squares which means that the queen on D3 cannot be taken, and the King cannot move to D1. These types of arrangements come up often in puzzles for this exact reason. since new players who aren't used to complications involving pins and timing/tempo, it can make finding the right move difficult.

Edit: these types of positions can show up in over the board games as well, and in many (especially informal) low time control tournaments it is LEGAL for your opponent to take your king if you make a move that puts your own king in check, resulting in immediate loss of the game.