Tactical motifs
Trapped piece
A piece has no safe squares; surround it and win it.
What is the trapped piece?
A trapped piece is one that has wandered too far or been hemmed in, so it has no safe square to escape to. Once you cut off its retreat, you win it for little or nothing.
Why the trapped piece matters
Greedy pieces get trapped — the queen that grabbed a pawn, the bishop that strayed to h2, the knight stuck on the rim. Learning to trap also teaches restraint: you start to feel when your own pieces are over-extended and one move from being caught.
How to use it to win
When an enemy piece is deep in your camp or short of squares, do not rush to chase it — first take away the exits with pawns and minor pieces, then attack it. The classic case is winning a bishop that took on h2/h7 by trapping it with g3/g6.
Try an example puzzle
A real trapped piece puzzle from the app. White to move — find the idea, then reveal the line.
7 
5 
4 
d h 1 Show solution
1. Ra1 Qxa1 2. Rxa1
Drill the trapped piece on thousands of real puzzles, matched to your rating.