A double attack, commonly referred to as a 'fork' in chess, is one of the most effective and universally feared tactical combinations. A fork occurs when a single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces simultaneously. Typically, one of the targets is the enemy king (delivering a check), which forces the opponent to move their king and abandon the other captured piece.
While knight forks are legendary for their surprise factor and geometric patterns, forks can be delivered by any piece, including pawns, bishops, rooks, and queens. By practicing fork puzzles, you train your eyes to scan the board for loose, undefended enemy pieces and align your attackers to strike them both in a single, devastating turn.