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Beginners' Chess Strategy Series, Part 1 -- the fork
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Chess is one of the most ancient, respected, and complex games in existence, and for true newbies, it can take a while simply to memorize how each piece moves, let alone conquer the subtleties. Believe me, it took several years to develop the ability to beat my dad somewhat regularly, and even today I confess I am no grand-master. But I'm here to help those still learning the game by outlining a few examples of specific techniques that help thin out enemy ranks and restrict opponents' choices. This article is the first in a series of four on this topic.
It can be frustrating to mount what appears to be an effective attack, only to have an opponent turn defensive and retreat, leaving you with no gain. A one-on-one philosophy of offense yields little, since players can often simply move the threatened piece to somewhere safe. Therefore, it can be extremely effective to pit one piece versus two, so to speak, if you are sure that your attacking unit is well-defended. Positioning a piece so that it attacks two opposing pieces at once is called a "fork."
In the figure shown here, the knight at E5 has forked the bishop at C4 and the rook at D7; it can capture either in the next turn. Upon his or her turn, Black stands to lose a piece; no matter which he or she moves out of the way, the knight can still take the other. Furthermore, no piece on this board can capture the knight this turn. Is there a way to get out of this trap?
There is. On more complicated boards, an escape might not be possible, but Black's best move here is to put White's king into check (by moving the bishop to D5, for example). In this position, the bishop is no longer threatened, and the subsequent forced king move allows Black to then move the rook, having then saved both pieces from the fork.
Although escapes are thus possible, the fork often corners an opponent into taking one of very few wise moves. If you can coordinate the fork such that it also allows your pieces to strike forward as a team, you'll put extreme pressure on your adversary and probably eliminate a valuable piece or two in the process, in those cases where escape is just not achievable.
Be sure to also read Beginners' Chess Strategy Series, Part 2 -- The pin, right here on Examiner.com! Have fun, and never lose that competitive spirit!
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