Solution 1.Nc6 attacks the rook on a5 but also threatens 2.Ne7+, which would also be a fork! Comments: The next example illustrates that even simple forks can be very tricky, particularly when the knights are involved: White to play. And if you ever get the opportunity to fork a king and queen and rook, all at the same time, that would be a “Family Fork”. Note: A fork tactic against a king and queen is known as a “Royal Fork”. The idea 1… Nf4+ only works because the pawns on g3 and e3 are both pinned, respectively by the queen on g6 and the rook on e8. Solution 1… Nf4+ forks the white king and queen. How can you use a fork tactic to your advantage?
White just played 1.Rd1, threatening to capture your knight on the next move. The examples below will help you get a better understanding of fork tactics. Fork Tactic: 1.Qd4, makes two threats at the same time: 1) Qxg7# and 2) Qxb6.Īny chess piece can perform a fork tactic, even the pawn, but it often involves the queen (because she can attack in many directions) or the knight (because of its unique movement in any direction). To be clear, a double attack is a broad term that refers to making multiple threats at the same time ( with one or more pieces).Ī fork, on the other hand, is when multiple threats are made by a single piece. The Difference Between a Fork Tactic and a Double Attack Even though a fork is sometimes referred to as a double attack, they aren’t quite the same thing. A fork is a chess tactic whereby a single piece makes multiple threats at the same time.