Tactic · beginner
Forks in chess
A knight can attack two pieces at once. Find the check that also hits the rook.
touch_appSolve them yourself. A wrong move gets explained, not just marked wrong.
What a fork is
A knight can attack two pieces at once. Find the check that also hits the rook.
A fork is one piece attacking two (or more) enemy pieces at the same time. Your opponent can only save one. Pawn forks are deadly because the pawn is worth so little.
6 puzzles, solved
Knight Fork (beginner, White to move)add
A knight can attack two pieces at once. Find the check that also hits the rook. Solution: 1.Nc7+ Ke7 2.Nxa8. Nc7+ checks the king on e8 and attacks the rook on a8 at the same moment. The king has to step away, and Nxa8 wins a full rook. A knight's jump can't be blocked, which makes it the best forking piece.
Royal Fork (beginner, White to move)add
Fork the king and the queen with a knight check. Solution: 1.Nd6+ Kd8 2.Nxc8. Nd6+ forks the king on e8 and the queen on c8. Black must answer the check, and Nxc8 wins the queen for a knight. Before every move, check the squares your knight can reach: are two enemy pieces a jump away from one of them?
Queen Fork (beginner, White to move)add
The queen attacks in eight directions. Use a check to hit a loose rook too. Solution: 1.Qd5+ Kf8 2.Qxa8+. Qd5+ checks the king along the d5–g8 diagonal and attacks the a8 rook along the d5–a8 diagonal. The king must move, and Qxa8+ wins the rook. Undefended pieces plus an exposed king make double attacks possible.
The pawn fork (beginner, White to move)add
Even a little pawn can attack two pieces at once. Solution: 1.d4. d4! attacks the knight and the bishop at once. Black can only move one, and you win the other for a pawn.
Check and grab (beginner, White to move)add
A queen check that also attacks a loose rook. Solution: 1.Qe4+ Ne7 2.Qxa8+. Qe4+! checks down the e-file and attacks the rook along the long diagonal. Black can only block the check, and Qxa8 wins the rook. Tip: a fork works best when the attacked piece can't hit back. A rook can't capture along a diagonal.
The family fork (beginner, White to move)add
A knight check that hits the king, queen and rook at once. Solution: 1.Nc7+ Kd8 2.Nxe6+. Nc7+! forks the king, the queen and the rook. Black must answer the check, and Nxe6 wins the queen. Knight checks can't be blocked.
How to spot it in your games
- Look for a move that attacks two things at once.
- Which square lets the knight attack both e8 and a8?
- Look for a square that is a knight's jump from both e8 and c8.
- Loose pieces drop off. The rook on a8 is undefended. Can a check attack it as well?
- Push the pawn so it attacks both pieces.
When players miss it: "Missing forks and double attacks"
When the coach analyses your games, missed forks are counted under "Missing forks and double attacks". Look for moves that attack two things at once, especially knight jumps and queen checks.