Overloading (chess)

From Chesspedia, the Free Chess Encyclopedia.

Overloading is a chess tactic in which a defensive piece is given an additional assignment which it can't complete without abandoning its original assignment.

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Krasnekow-Karpov in the first round of the 2003 Corus chess tournament reached the diagrammed position with Black to play. As the white rook on f1 is tied to the defense of the pawn on f3, Black won immediately with 1... Re1, overloading the rook. If 2.Rxe1, then 2... Qxf3#.

See also algebraic chess notation