ChessRanger
Tactics

En prise

French for 'in take', i.e. hanging

A piece left undefended where it can be captured for free.

A piece is en prise when it can simply be taken and you cannot recapture — a hanging piece. The single most common way games are decided below master level is one side leaving a piece en prise and the other noticing.

Before every move, the discipline is the same: is anything of mine en prise after I move, and is anything of theirs en prise now?

Why it matters

Cutting out one-move blunders — pieces left en prise — is worth more rating points than any opening study.

The mistake everyone makes

Making the move you planned without the last check: 'does this leave a piece hanging, and did their last move hang something?'

Related terms

Fork
One piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time.
Tactic
A short, forcing sequence of moves that wins material or delivers mate.
Combination
A forcing sequence of moves — usually with a sacrifice — that wins by force.

See En prise in your own games

Play the engine, train tactics, and analyse your games — ChessRanger points out these patterns as they come up so the word turns into a skill. Free to start.

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