Forks-A Guide

Welcome to aviation18's chess corner! Today we'll be explaining what forks are and how to do some basic forks.

What are forks?

In chess, a fork is a tactic in which a piece attacks two or more pieces simultaneously. The attacker usually aims to capture one of the forked pieces, or threaten checkmate. The defender often finds it difficult to counter two or more threats in a single move.

While many pieces can fork, knights strike best when forking. One of the most common forks are the rook and king fork, where the attacker's knight is placed in such a position, that no piece can take the knight, and the king is put under check, and the rook, helpless, is taken the next move as the king moves out of check. The position and its result can be seen below:

Now, how do you make a good fork?

Firstly, remember that you shouldn't have any annoying bishops and/or a queen that can thwart you. Try your best to divert them to another squares-even if it requires you to sacrifice a pawn or two. If you can, try and keep the opponent's queen near your knight, in case a sudden opportunity for a double fork comes. And also remember that forks don't just have to be taking a rook! You can also take pieces such as the queen(shown below), or just a trade for a bishop or a fellow knight. One of the principles of a fork is that, when you take a major piece, such as a rook or a queen, your knight will be taken back in most scenarios.