Tactical Course Clearance

A clearance tactic in chess removes a piece from a critical square, rank, file or diagonal so that another piece can use the newly opened space. The piece being moved or removed may appear to be important but clearing the way can create a much stronger threat.

One common form is clearing a square for another friendly piece. A piece deliberately leaves its position so that another piece can occupy that square and deliver a decisive attack. The clearing move may itself be a sacrifice if gaining access to the square is more valuable than preserving the piece.

Another form is clearing a line. A rank, file or diagonal may be obstructed by one or more pieces, preventing a rook, bishop or queen from attacking along it. By moving a friendly piece away—or forcing an opposing piece away—the line is opened and the previously blocked piece can become immediately active.

Sacrifices frequently play an important role in clearance combinations. Material may be given up to remove an obstruction, attract a defender away from an important square or open a path towards the enemy king. Rather than viewing the sacrifice in isolation, consider what attacking possibilities become available once the square or line has been cleared.

Many clearance combinations begin with check or another forcing move. This limits the opponent’s choices and can make the sequence possible. In other positions, the clearance move creates multiple threats, leaving the opponent unable to answer all of them.

The king is often the ultimate target but clearance tactics can also lead to the capture of a queen, material gain, promotion of a pawn or another decisive advantage.

The essential tactical idea is:

Clearance removes an obstruction so that a square or line can be used more effectively.

When solving the positions below, look particularly for which piece or square is obstructing your attack, what can be moved or sacrificed to clear it and what becomes possible once the path is open. ♟️🎯

Solutions in Chess Board