Fork (chess)

In chess, a fork is a double attack of a figure on two or more opponent's pieces or fields. The fork attack is often a game-winning tactical turn, because it can not be parried all threats usually. In principle, any body run a fork attack. Most commonly, Springer fork and fork Bauer.

In practice often enough already threatening to put a fork attack, from this, the enemy wrest a positional concession and thus to obtain an advantage. The threat of a fork attack plays therefore in many chess games an important role.

Springer fork

In diagram 1, the white knight on e6 forks the black queen on g7 and the black rook on c7. Neither the tower nor the lady can move with chess, but can try Black with 1 ... Qd7! to prevent the tower loss. On 2 Sxc7 Black would beat the white lady. Try white with the intermediate chess 2 Qa8 respond, saves 2 ... Rc8! ( 2 ... DC8? 3 Sxc7 Dxa8 4 Sxa8 ). Successful is the other intermediate chess 2 dG4 ! Kf7 ( Kh7/h8 Dh4 3 and 4 Sxc7 ) 3 Qf5 ! ( 3 Sxc7? Dxg4 ) ... Ke7 ( 3 ... Ke8/g8 fails each of 4 DF8 ) 4.De5! Against this battery Black is helpless. Now White threatens next to the pounding on c7 addition Sc5 Ladies profit. The black intermediate chess ... Qc6 4 5 Kh2! does not help much, because now threatens Nd4 Ladies profit. Black has nothing better than 5 ... Dxe6, after which White wins after 6 Dxc7 with proper game.

In the article on Arianne Caoili a Springer fork is shown in a real game.

Family Chess

If - as shown in diagram 2 - the knight next to other figures also threatens the opponent's king, one speaks of a family of chess.

Bauer fork

In Chart 3, the white pawn on d5 forks the black towers on c6 and e6. Since none of the towers can dodge with chess bid and the white farmers also can not be tied, a tower is inevitably lost.

Runner fork

A runner fork is the basic motive for settlement to a draw in this match. 38 ... Th1xd1 39 Kd2xd1 Ke6 - f7 and g7 dual attack directly on the rotor and g4 indirectly by deducting attack on the fork field clarifies the situation. 40 Th5xh6 Lc8xg4 together with Kf7xg7 draw

Tower fork

This study shows a development in a playoff against Dame tower, with tower Forks play the decisive role. 1 h6 - h7 Td2 - h2 2 Tf6 -f1 Kc 1 -c (d) 2 3 Tf1 - f2 tower fork 3 ... Th2xf2 distraction 4 h7 - H8D wins 1 ... Td2 -d8 2 Tf6 - c6 Kc 1 -d1 ( 2) 3 Tc6 - d6 tower fork 3 ... Td8xd6 distraction Echo 4 h7 - H8D wins

Combined examples

1 Te1xe4? Tower fork 1 ... De8xe4! if 1 ... DB8 as 2 3 Txg4 Db1 Dg1 2 Dd4xe4 2 ... Sg4 - f2 springer fork

This excludes 42 ... Txd4? because of the ladies fork 43 De5 . But the farmer fork 42 ... e5 would play immediately decided ( see diagram right ), because on the counterattack 43 Nc6 exf4 44 Sxe7 decides the tower fork Te5.

Instead, followed 42 ... h5 Td5 - 43 Kh2 g1 De7 -d8? Still wins the pawn fork. 44 Sd4xe6 springer fork 1-0