VI. Motifs and themes

1. Simple motifs

• Winning material
• by capture
• by pinning
• by catching a piece
• catching the Q
• catching the R
• catching the B
• catching the N
• by domination
• simple domination (the piece is attacked)
• domination by zugzwang (the piece is not attacked)
• Check
• Counter-check
• Many checks
• Pin
• Cross-pin
• Counter pin
• Repeated counter pin
• Half-pin
• Unpinning
• K moves along the pinning line
• Pinned piece moves along the pin line (Pelle move)
• Fork
• Simple fork (one piece attacks two pieces)
• Complex fork (one piece attacks several pieces)
• Doubled fork (two simultaneous forks on the same two pieces)
• Self-fork
• Superfork (two adjacent pawns attacks two pieces)
• Battery
• Half-battery
• Double battery
• Discovered check
• Attacking K moves along the battery line
• Defending K moves along the battery line
• X-ray attack (Skewer)
• X-ray defence
• Obstruction
• Interference

2. Complex motifs

• Windmill
• Repeated captures (Checkers Theme)
• Sliding battery
• Saavedra’s double threat
• Réti manoeuvre
• Chase
• Funktionwechsel (exchange of role)
• Grip Theme
• Sandwich Theme
• Transformation of pinning
• Mutual obstructions
• Paradoxical capture (the capture of the least valued piece)
• Domino Theme
• Paralysis
• Overloading
• Dual avoidance
• Shutting in an own piece
• Winning fortress
• Eilazyan Theme

3. Problem themes

• Nowotny
• Grimshaw
• Bristol
• Herlin
• Turton
• Loyd-Turton
• Brunner-Turton
• Plachutta
• Würzburg-Plachutta
• Seeberger
• Kling
• Roman
• Indian
• Albino
• Pickaninny
• Banny
• Umnov
• Magnet Theme
• Critical move
• Focal position
• Zabunov Theme

4. Foresight theme

• WCCT-7 Theme
• WCCT-10 Theme

5. Positional draws

• Perpetual check
• Perpetual check by one piece
• Perpetual check by two pieces
• Perpetual check by many pieces
• Forced perpetual check
• Perpetual check/stalemate
• Perpetual check avoidance
• Desperado
• Perpetual attack
• One piece against one piece
• One piece against two pieces
• Two pieces against one piece
• Two pieces against two pieces
• Perpetual fork
• Perpetual threat of mate
• Perpetual stalemate
• Perpetual pinning
• Perpetual self-pinning
• Perpetual transformation of pinning
• Perpetual prevention from pawn promotion
• Perpetual mate avoidance
• Fortress
• Blockade
• Perpetual threat of perpetual attack
• Perpetual threat of perpetual check
• Perpetual threat of pawn promotion
• Perpetual threat of stalemate
• Perpetual threat of fortress
• Perpetual threat of blockade
• Perpetual threat of fork
• Perpetual threat of theoretical draw
• Perpetual threat of winning material
• Perpetual prevention of losing material
• Perpetual threat of catching a piece
• Perpetual threat of a battery
• Perpetual threat to castle
• Perpetual battery
• Perpetual switch of places
• Perpetual Nowotny
• Perpetual Plachutta
• Perpetual Grimshaw
• Perpetual fastening
• Passive domination
• Reciprocal perpetual check