Chess-Now, Ltd. - Chess Now in Chicago Tribune Articles

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic combined to use 6 chess tactics that resulted in Roger winning the tennis point of the year award in 2009. Here are the chess tactics they used:

Initiative	In chess is the same as being in control of the point in tennis dictating play to your opponent.
Clearance	When a chess piece is traded, sacrificed or driven off the board, because another piece can accomplish something if they are no longer in the way.
Decoy	An attempt to attract an opponent's piece to a bad square.
Double Attack/Fork	Attacks multiple areas of the board at the same time.
Desperado	When a player is going to lose a piece and probably the game, so they take anything they can for it, maybe a Pawn for a Bishop.
Pinned	When an opponent's piece cannot move, because the King would be exposed to check, or does not want to move, because a valuable piece would be exposed to capture. Like a basketball player with glue on his shoes is not really helping the team.

Click on this link Roger Hits the Shot of the Year to see these tactics come to life. Watch the video to see how these chess/tennis tactics created the combination. Here is a chess explanation of what is happening during the point.

Initiative	Novak is serving, so he has control of the point and hits a solid serve. Roger returns down the middle without much pace.
Clearance	Novak makes an aggressive shot (offense), hitting a forehand deep to Roger's backhand, driving Roger back off the court. Roger's return lands mid court without pace.
Decoy	Seeing Roger is off the court, Novak hits a drop shot attracting Roger to a bad spot in the corner up at the net.
Double Attack/Fork	Roger gets to the drop shot, but has left two areas of the court wide open back over his head and the entire ad court. Novak answers with a backhand lob that attacks an open area over Roger's head.
Desperado	Roger races back to retrieve the lob, but then realizes there is no angle to play a typical shot. Novak centers himself at the net with a meager split step. Not wanting to lose the point, Roger goes for a “tweener” hitting the ball between his legs!
Pinned	Completely stunned, Novak doesn't want to or can't move for the ball and the shot of the year sails past him for a winner driving the crowd nuts.