3 Check Tactics to Know: Blocking a Check While Giving a Check

3 Check Tactics to Know: Blocking a Check While Giving a Check

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Blocking a check while giving a check is one of my favorite concepts in 3 Check because it's usually  completely unexpected. Your opponent attacks you but you immediately turn the tables and attack them right back. The idea is very simple, but also very easy to overlook as this tactic is not as common as other tactics. Still, it's good to be aware of this resource as you can use it to snatch a victory from an otherwise equal or losing position.

For more games and a deeper explanation of this opening you can read my blog post below:

The following game was not played by me but I still remember it well because of the very nice finish. It also proves Danny Rensch wrong wink.png In his article 3-Check Chess Tips For Beginners, he claims that "A Queen Always Gets 'Her Two'!". He explains that a Queen is guaranteed to get 2 checks unless she is captured after giving her first check. I love Danny, but this statement is not true. 

You don't always have to give or block an immediate check in order to apply this idea. You can also threaten to give a check while blocking one of your opponent's pieces from getting to your King. In extreme cases this may buy you just enough time to set up a third check before your opponent can get a third check. Here are 2 examples:

In this last game I'll show an example where I set up a third check while removing a threat to my own King.

After the game my opponent @apostatlet was very gracious and complimented my Kg6 move. Troubadix_18 saw the game as well and said that he would include it in the "defense section". I'm not sure what he meant so if anyone has any idea then let me know!


Have you ever blocked a check while giving a check? Let me know in the comments! As I mentioned this is one of my favorite tactics so I would love to see more examples!