What is a Fork?
A fork occurs when a single piece attacks two or more of your opponent’s pieces simultaneously. The power of a fork lies in the fact that your opponent can only move one piece per turn, often leaving at least one of the attacked pieces vulnerable. The most common pieces that execute forks are knights, but any piece, including pawns, bishops, rooks, and queens, can perform a fork.
Example: Knight Fork
Imagine you are playing as white, and you spot an opportunity to use your knight to fork your opponent’s king and queen. Moving your knight to the right square puts both the king and queen in jeopardy. Since your opponent must move the king out of check, the queen will be left undefended, allowing you to capture it on your next move.
Example: Pawn Fork
Forks aren’t limited to knights. Consider this scenario: You’re playing as white, and you notice that your opponent’s knight and bishop are aligned in such a way that a pawn could attack both simultaneously. By advancing your pawn, you create a fork, forcing your opponent to decide which piece to save.
Test 1
Black has just played h6??, attacking your knight on g5. Find the best move, which wins major material.
Test 1 Solution
The winning move here is Nxf7!, forking Black’s queen and rook. White will win material.
Test 2
Black has just played Qd4, attacking your knight on e5 and setting up nasty mating threats on b2. Find the best move for White AND the follow-up to Black’s best move.
Test 2 Solution
White’s winning idea is bxc3, where after Black’s Qxc3, White has the stellar a3!, deflecting Black’s king and winning a queen on the next move.
Test 3 (Challenge)
Black has just played Nf6, uncovering an attack on your queen via the g6 bishop. Find the winning line for White.
Test 3 Solution
The winning move here is Qxg6!!, beginning a devastating attack on Black’s king.
After Black recaptures with the g-pawn (the f-pawn is pinned), White uncorks a second sacrifice: Bxf7!!
After Black responds with the forced ..Rxg7, White proceeds to sacrifice a third piece. Rh8!!
Nxf7: The point! White has cleared the way for a royal fork! After the dust settles, White is up a pawn with better activity, and will likely proceed to win the game.