Forms of Clearance

Clearance comes in two forms, the first is where a player moves one of their own pieces to clear a square for another of their pieces. The second form of clearance occurs when one player forces a piece away from a diagonal, rank or file (often using a sacrifice) to make way for another piece to utilise or attack the cleared path. Note that clearances where the player clears a piece to make way for a piece behind it to attack another square or piece is sometimes referred to as clearance, however these should be considered discovered attacks.

In the following puzzles, White is to make a move of clearance and win.