In his last move, the Iron Tiger temporarily sacrificed his queen to create a fork and capture Spassky's royal lady and rook.
In the game below, played by former world champions GM Tigran Petrosian and GM Boris Spassky, Petrosian used the threat of a fork to win the game. It is often impossible to defend all the forked pieces at the same time, allowing the attacker to win material.
#Chess tactics fork how to
How To Take Advantage Of A Forkįorks are potent weapons in a chess game. Usually, those forks involve an attack on the enemy king and create an inescapable threat. The deadliest forks are the ones that are forcing. The knight attacks both rooks but is still out of their range. Because it is also a minor piece, it can be traded off almost with no restrictions. Any 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). Because of the unique way it moves, a forking knight cannot be captured by the pieces it is threatening. Fork Tactic: 1.Qd4, makes two threats at the same time: 1) Qxg7 and 2) Qxb6.
The pawn attacks the bishop and the knight at the same time.Īlthough every piece can deliver a fork, the most striking forks come from a knight. The attacking piece is known as the forking piece, while the attacked troops are known as the forked pieces. In a chess game, they are also a handy tool for munching your opponent's pieces! Learn everything about this tactic and how you can use it to win more matches.Ī fork is one of a basic chess tactic that consists of a single piece attacking two or more pieces at the same time. Forks are very useful when you want to enjoy a delicious meal.