Overloading is exploiting an enemy piece that has two defensive jobs at once. Attack one of the things it guards, and it must give up the other.
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Start0/1
A defender can only be in one place. If it guards two things, make it deal with one, and the other is left unprotected.
How to do it
- 1Find an enemy piece guarding two things, such as a piece and a mating square.
- 2Take or attack one of them, so the defender has to choose.
- 3Take the other.
For your level
Count what each defender is doing. A piece with two jobs is where the combination starts.
Check you have it
Question 1 of 1
Play the moves through and count. How much material has the attacker won?
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Common mistakes
- Missing that a second piece also guards one of the targets, so nothing is overloaded.
- Starting with the wrong capture, so the defender keeps its more important job.
Questions
- How is overloading different from deflection?
- Overloading describes the defender: one piece with two jobs. Deflection is a way to exploit it, by forcing the piece away from one of those jobs.