Chess tactics
What Is a Desperado in Chess?
A desperado is a piece that is going to be lost anyway, so it captures something, or makes a forcing threat, before it is taken. Instead of dying for nothing, it sells itself for as much material or time as possible.
Example
1. Nxc6 bxc6 2. Bd2
The pawn on e5 attacks both the knight on d4 and the bishop on f4, so one of them looks lost. The knight sells itself first with Nxc6, which also hits the queen, so Black recaptures, and then the bishop retreats with Bd2. White loses nothing.
How a desperado works
Desperado positions usually come from mutual attacks: two of your pieces are attacked at once, or both sides have a piece hanging. A piece that cannot be saved should not just sit and wait. It can capture something of similar value, or make a threat that has to be answered, so the opponent is too busy to collect it for free.
In the example, retreating the knight would lose the bishop to exf4, and moving the bishop would lose the knight to exd4. The capture on c6 forces a recapture, which gives White the one tempo needed to save the other piece.
When to look for one
Look for a desperado whenever one of your pieces is trapped, forked, or attacked by a pawn with nowhere good to go, and in any sequence of trades where both sides have pieces hanging. Ask what that piece can capture or attack before it disappears.
The opponent's pieces can play desperado too. When you win a piece, check whether it can take something on its way out before you count the material.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is retreating a doomed piece and losing it anyway. The second is grabbing a pawn with the desperado when a capture of a piece, or a check, was available. Pick the capture that takes the most or forces the opponent's reply.
Common questions
Where does the name desperado come from?
It compares the piece to a desperate outlaw with nothing to lose. Since the piece is doomed, it might as well do as much damage as it can.
Is a desperado the same as a zwischenzug?
They often appear together. A zwischenzug is any in-between move played before the expected reply. A desperado is specifically a doomed piece capturing or threatening before it is taken, and that move is often a zwischenzug as well.
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