This page is an extension of 56 Tactical Patterns That All Chess Players Should Know.
When an enemy piece performs more than one defensive role, you should look for opportunities to exploit the overworked piece.
Here are three examples of Overloading.
Example #1
1. Rxb4
The black rook can’t defend the bishop and the back rank at the same time.
Example #2
1… Ng4! The white bishop must defend the rook on f1.
Example #3
1. Rxb5 Qxb5 2. Qa8+