Double attacks and forks
In short
A fork is one move that attacks two (or more) things at the same time. The opponent can usually save only one of them.
By the end you can
- Find knight and queen forks
- See checks that also attack a piece
The lesson
A fork is one move that attacks two (or more) things at the same time. The opponent can usually save only one of them. Knights are the most famous forkers because their jumps are hard to see, but queens, pawns and even kings can fork.
The strongest forks include a check: the opponent must answer the check, and then you capture the other piece. Look for squares from which one of your pieces would attack the king and a loose piece together.
Key points to remember
- One move, two targets
- Fork with check is the strongest
- Look for loose pieces and the king on one jump
Examples
Show the solution
1. Nc7+
Show the solution
42. f5+ Kf7 43. fxe6+
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: fork puzzles.
Homework
20 fork puzzles over the week.
More tactics lessons
- Hanging pieces: take them and don’t leave them (Novice)
- Pins: pieces that cannot move (Novice)
- Forks with every piece (Class F)
- Using and breaking pins (Class F)
- Skewers and x-rays (Class F)
- Discovered attacks and double check (Class F)