Forks is lesson 1 of 3 in Quick practice: forks, pins and skewers, a tactics course suited to players rated around 750 (beginners). A fork is one piece attacking two enemy pieces at once. Your opponent can only save one of them. It has 3 interactive exercises: 3 find-the-move puzzles. You play every move on a board and get feedback straight away. The lesson is free.
What this lesson explains
The knight on f7 attacks the king on h8 and the queen on d8 at the same time. Knights are great at forking, because their attacks are easy to overlook.
What you practise
Fork the king and the queen with your knight, then collect the queen.
Even a pawn can fork! Attack both black pieces with one pawn move.
Use the queen: give check and attack the rook at the same time.
Worked examples
Fork the king and the queen with your knight, then collect the queen. The king had to move, and the queen was lost.
chessGM