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Ponderchess / Glossary

Fork in chess

A fork is a single move that attacks two or more enemy pieces at once. The opponent can usually save only one of them, so a fork normally wins material. Knights fork most often, but every piece, including pawns and the king, can fork.

White to move. The knight jumps to e7 with check, attacking the king on g8 and the queen on c8 at the same time. The queen on e2 protects e7, so the knight cannot be taken. After Ne7+ Kf8 (or Kh8), Nxc8 wins the queen for a knight.1.Ne7+ Kf8 2.Nxc8

How a fork works

A fork is a double attack made by one piece. Each defensive move answers one threat, so when two targets are attacked at once, one of them usually falls. The fork is strongest when one of the targets is the king: the opponent must deal with the check first, and the second target is lost.

A knight fork of the king and queen is often called a royal fork. For the fork to pay, the forking piece should be safe on its square, or what it wins should be worth more than the piece itself.

Which pieces fork best

The knight is the classic forking piece. Its jump cannot be blocked, and it attacks queens, rooks and bishops without being attacked back by them. Typical targets are f7 and f2, where a knight hits the queen on d8 and the rook on h8 (or d1 and h1), and c7 and c2, where it hits a king on e8 and a rook on a8.

Pawns fork cheaply: a pawn pushed to e5 against knights on d6 and f6 wins a piece, because both knights are worth more than the pawn. Queens fork along lines, often with a check that also hits a loose piece. Bishops, rooks and even kings can fork too, most often in the endgame.

How to spot and set up forks

Look for enemy pieces a knight's jump apart from a common square, undefended pieces, and a king and queen standing on squares of the same colour. Checks come first: a checking fork leaves no time for counterplay.

Many forks need preparation. A sacrifice can drag the king or queen onto the forking square, and an exchange can remove the defender of the square your knight needs.

Defending against forks

Keep pieces protected, so that a fork wins nothing, and avoid leaving the king and queen where an enemy knight can reach both. If you are forked, look for a check or a counter-attack before giving up material; sometimes the forking piece can be captured or trapped afterwards.

Common mistakes

  • Playing a fork onto a square where the forking piece is simply captured.
  • Taking the first target at once without checking whether the opponent has an in-between check.
  • Leaving the king and queen a knight's jump from the same square, for example a king on g8 and a queen on c8 with an enemy knight able to reach e7.

Questions about fork

What is a royal fork in chess?

It usually means a knight fork of the king and the queen. Because the king is in check, the queen is normally lost.

Is a fork the same as a double attack?

A fork is one kind of double attack, made by a single piece. A double attack can also come from two different pieces, as in a discovered attack.

Can a pawn fork two pieces?

Yes. A pawn attacks two diagonal squares, so a pawn push can fork two pieces, and since the pawn is worth so little, the fork almost always wins material.

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