Forks and Double Attacks in Chess
What are double attacks and forks
A double attack is a move after which one of your pieces threatens two targets at the same time. Usually the opponent can save only one of them, and you win the other.
A fork is a special kind of double attack, where one piece "hooks" two important targets at once (often the king and some other piece). The most famous forks are made by a knight and a pawn.
Why it works so often
Chess has a "main piece": the king. If you give check, the opponent has to deal with the threat to the king. And if your piece attacks a second target at the same time, you get an almost perfect fork.
How to find a double attack
- Ask yourself: what checks do I have? A lot of forks start with a check.
- Look at your knights and pawns: they make forks most often.
- Check the lines of attack: a queen/rook/bishop can aim at two targets from one square.
- Finally, ask: "If the opponent saves one piece, what do I win with the second threat?"
Tips to spot forks faster
For kids
Imagine a piece is a superhero with two "beams". If after your move both beams hit important targets, that's a double attack!
The biggest "fork hero" is the knight: it jumps in and suddenly attacks two pieces at once.
For adults
Look for forks by "target value": king → queen → rook → bishop/knight → pawns. If one of the targets is the king (check), your chances of winning material go up sharply.
This rule also works often: a piece on an open line + check = double attack.
Examples
Try it yourself: make a move on the board. If you get stuck, press "Show solution".
1. Knight fork: check + attack on the queen
Move: Ne7+
Idea: from e7 the knight attacks the king on g8 (check) and the queen on f5 at the same time.
The opponent has to answer the check, and the queen is usually lost after that.
Solution: Ne7+ - a fork: the knight checks the king on g8 and attacks the queen on f5. After the king moves, Nxf5.
2. Pawn fork: hitting the queen and the knight
Move: e5
Idea: the pawn on e5 attacks d6 (the queen) and f6 (the knight) at the same time.
Important: the pawn on e5 is protected by the pawn on d4. If the queen takes with Qxe5, White answers dxe5 and wins the queen. And the pawn on d4 is protected by the pawn on c3, so Qxd4+ doesn't help either.
Solution: e5 - a pawn fork: the queen on d6 and the knight on f6 are both attacked, and Black will lose one of them.
3. Queen fork: check + attack on the rook
Move: Qf7+
Idea: the queen checks the king on h7 and at the same time attacks the rook on h5 along the f7 - g6 - h5 diagonal.
The opponent has to answer the check: the king can only go to h8 (its own pawn stands on h6), and then you take the rook: Qxh5.
Solution: Qf7+ - check to the king and an attack on the rook on h5. The king can only go to h8, and then comes Qxh5.
4. Bishop fork: check + attack on the queen
Move: Bc6+
Idea: the bishop goes to c6 and does two things at once: it gives check to the king on e8 and attacks the queen on a4.
Why this is a fork: the check has to be answered right away, and the queen is often lost after that. Even if Black tries Qxc6, White answers Nxc6 and wins the queen (the bishop was protected by the knight).
Solution: Bc6+ - check to the king on e8 and an attack on the queen on a4; if Qxc6, White answers Nxc6.
5. Knight fork: check + attack on the rook
Move: Nf7+
Idea: the knight checks the king and at the same time attacks the rook on d8.
This is a classic: one threat forces the opponent to defend, and the other one wins material.
Solution: Nf7+ - check to the king on h8 and an attack on the rook on d8. After the king moves, Nxd8.
A daily mini-workout
- In every position, look for 2 targets: "what is the most profitable thing to attack?"
- Check whether there is a move that attacks both targets at once.
- If one of the attacks is a check, be sure to calculate the lines: it often wins a piece.
Double attacks are all about attention and habit. The more often you look for "two targets", the sooner you will start seeing forks automatically.