Tactical motifs
Kingside attack
Storming a king that castled on the kingside.
What is the kingside attack?
A kingside attack targets a king that castled short, usually by opening the h- and g-files, landing a piece sacrifice on h7/g7, or rolling the h- and g-pawns forward to pry the king's cover apart.
Why the kingside attack matters
Since most players castle kingside, this is the attack you will use and face most often. The classic sacrifices here — the Greek gift on h7, the rook lift to h3 — decide enormous numbers of club games.
How to use it to win
Aim every piece you can at the castled king, then look for the breakthrough: Bxh7+, Nxg5, or a pawn storm with h4-h5. The defender's giveaways are a missing defender (knight off f6) or weakened pawns in front of the king.
Try an example puzzle
A real kingside attack puzzle from the app. Black to move — find the idea, then reveal the line.
1 
2 
g e Show solution
1. ... Bxg2#
Drill the kingside attack on thousands of real puzzles, matched to your rating.