A Coach's Best 'Fork' Positions!
"May the fork be with you", ChessKids! Forks are by far the most common chess tactic in chess. Most chess teachers show them first or second when introducing tactical themes.
From the pawn to the king, every single piece can execute a deadly fork!
Need a ready-made lesson for forks? Here are three great fork problems which I enjoy using in my class.
Let's stick to the theme of setting up a fork by using a decoy sacrifice. What's nice about this problem is that the white knight is pinned to the king, but it is the knight who will move and deliver our favorite fork!
For the last example, let's take a look at a slightly more complicated problem. White needs to use two forcing moves to set-up the ultimate knight fork!
When introducing new ideas to your students, always start simple, then gradually increase the difficulty level. You know your lessons are successful when you see the students proudly showing how they found a friendly fork in one of their games!
Next article will focus on three powerful pins!