3/29/2015Fork (chess) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fork (chess) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In chess, a fork is a tactic whereby a single piece makes two or more direct attacks simultaneously. Most commonly two pieces are threatened, which is also sometimes called a double attack. The attacker usually aims to gain material by capturing one of the opponent's pieces. The defender often finds it difficult to counter two or more threats in a single move. The attacking piece is called the forking piece; the pieces attacked are said to be forked. A piece that is defended can still be forked, if the forking piece has a lower value. Besides attacking pieces, a target of a fork can be a direct mating threat (for example, attacking an unprotected knight while simultaneously setting up a battery of queen and bishop to threaten mate). Or a target can be an implied threat (for example, a knight may attack an unprotected piece while simultaneously threaten to fork queen and rook). a b c d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h The knight forks the black king and rook. The pawn forks the white rooks. Forks are often used as part of a combination which may involve other types of chess tactics as well. Contents 1 Forking piece 2 Example from a game 3 Example from an opening 4 Escaping forks 5 Other terms 6 See also 7 Notes 8 Citations 9 References 10 External links Forking piece http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(chess) 1/4 Qf4 Example from an opening In the Two Knights Defense (1. including the powerful Queen. Nxe4 d5—regaining either the bishop or the knight. the free encyclopedia The type of fork is named after the type of forking piece. White resigned. If a player wants to force an exchange of queens.and h-files) can also be used to fork by attacking two enemy pieces diagonally—one to the left.Wikipedia.. A fork is most effective when it is forcing. 2004 a b c d e f g This example is from the first round of the FIDE World Chess h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g Championship 2004 between Mohamed Tissir and Alexey Dreev. The possibility of a queen fork is a very real threat when the queen is in the open.Bc4 Nf6) after 4. Nc3.wikipedia. The queen is also often used to fork. http://en. such as when the king is put in check. without being attacked by their targets. Any type of piece can perform a fork[note 1]—including the king— and any type of piece can be forked. this typically gains material only when the pieces attacked are undefended or if one is undefended and the opposing king is checked. Knights are often used for forks. Nf2+ 34.3/29/2015 Fork (chess) . Black will win the exchange. For example.. but since the queen is usually more valuable than the pieces it attacks. Kg1 Nd3. Example from a game Tissir vs.. as is often the case in endgames.Nf3 Nc6 3. Their unique L-shaped move means that they can attack any other type of piece. In the final position the black knight forks the white queen and rook. Black can eliminate White's e4-pawn immediately with 4. h Position after 33. the other to the right. Dreev.. a knight fork is a knight move that attacks two or more opponent's pieces simultaneously.org/wiki/Fork_(chess) 2/4 . Nxe4! due to the fork trick 5. after the queen moves away.[1] After 33. Pawns other than rook pawns (those on the a.e4 e5 2. forking the opposing queen and king (or an undefended piece) with a protected queen can be useful. Escaping forks Forks can possibly be escaped.Wikipedia. See also Chess tactic Skewer Notes 1.3/29/2015 Fork (chess) . A fork of the opponent's king. etc.. while if another piece is the attacker the tactic is called double attack.Nxe4 5. the free encyclopedia a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 a b c d e f g h Position after 4. White is forked and Black will regain a piece. is sometimes called a royal fork. Other terms A fork of the king and queen. a zwischenzug.. queen. queen. and one (or both) rooks is sometimes called a grand fork. a b c d e f g h After 4.org/wiki/Fork_(chess) 3/4 . Some sources apply the term fork only when a knight is the attacker. A knight fork of the opponent's king. Black can play 4. A forked piece such as the queen might check the enemy king..Nxe4 since he has a fork trick. http://en. the highest material-gaining fork possible. giving time to move the second forked piece to safety on the next move.wikipedia.Nc3. and possibly other pieces is sometimes called a family fork or family check..Nxe4 d5. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation. David.wikipedia.php?title=Fork_(chess)&oldid=640968186" Categories: Chess tactics Chess terminology This page was last modified on 4 January 2015. you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. ISBN 978-0-76243726-9 Golombek. Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. the free encyclopedia Citations 1. http://en. Running Press. at 17:31.chesstr.). The Mammoth Book of Chess (3rd ed. a non-profit organization.org/wiki/Fork_(chess) 4/4 . ISBN 0-19-866164-9 External links Chess Tactics Repository – Forks (http://www. Harry (1977).org/w/index. The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.3/29/2015 Fork (chess) . additional terms may apply. ISBN 0-517-53146-1 Hooper.).wikipedia.com References Burgess.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1290197) Chessgames.Wikipedia. Oxford University Press. Crown Publishing.. By using this site. Dreev. Inc. Tissir vs. Graham (2009). Whyld. Kenneth (1992). 2004 (http://www.com/problems?ta=8) chess problems involving forks Retrieved from "http://en.