THE KNIGHT FORK

The knight fork is certainly a dangerous weapon in the arsenal of the advance chess player. Our theme today is the knight fork. In the diagram position white to play can win. Here is how.

1.Rxe5!! is winning because black will be a piece down. If Black decides to capture the rook with either 1...dxe5 or 1...Rxe5 white will continue with 2.Nf7+ winning the queen.
After the King moves the Knight simply captures the Queen on d8 (3.Nxd8). The knight can be a very dangerous piece especially if it's close to the enemy pieces. Always try to look for knight forks in your chess games. It can win you many chess battles. Good luck with your next chess game.

Look out for the Knight Forks!!

THE DISCOVERED CHECK

Chess in 99% tactics. This one I played recently against an opponent on the Internet. The game went.

Guest on Internet vs Max B. Nitzborn :

1.d4 Nf6 2.h3 e6 3.a3 d5 4.e3 Bd6 5.Nc3 0–0 6.Nf3 c6 7.g4 Qc7 8.g5 Ne4 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Nd2 e5 11.Nxe4 Bf5 12.Bg2 Bxe4 13.Bxe4 Nd7 14.d5 Nc5 15.Bg2 Rad8 16.b4 Na4 17.Qd3 b5 18.Be4 g6 19.h4 cxd5 20.Qxd5 Bxb4+ 21.Bd2 0–1

1.d4 Nf6 The move that signals black's intention to play the Nimzo-Indian Defense. 2.h3 2.h3 is a strange move as the normal move should be 2.c4. Maybe the opponent wanted to take me out of book? 2...e6 3.a3 3.a3 another propalaxis. White has lost the initiative and will have to fight to catch up. 3...d5 4.e3 Bd6 Black develops his bishop move and is ready for castling. 5.Nc3 Another bad move, as 5.c4 would have been better. 5...0–0 The king is safely tucked away and black can now focus on the development of his other pieces before he launches a ferocious attack. 6.Nf3 c6 7.g4 White is too aggressive and too early. g4 is too early, the other white pieces should first be develop. You cannot attack your opponent with a mere pawn. 7...Qc7 8.g5 Ne4 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Nd2 e5 White's king is in the middle and black is ready to open up the game. 11.Nxe4 Bf5 Black develop his bishop with an attack on the e4 knight. 12.Bg2 White defends. 12...Bxe4 13.Bxe4 Nd7 The last black piece has been develop and white has only one piece to show after 13 moves. 14.d5 Nc5 15.Bg2 Rad8 16.b4 Na4 17.Qd3 b5 18.Be4.

White's attempt to attack the castled black king runs against granite 18... g6 18...g6 19.h4 cxd5 20.Qxd5 20.Qxd5 white is very careless, the last blunder?? 20...Bxb4+ 21.Bd2 and black resigns without waiting for 21...Bxd2+ followed by 22...Rxd5 0–1.
The theme (discovered check/attack) of the move 20...Bxb4+ is called the discovered check/attack. The bishop gives check to the king and the rook attacks the queen. A deadly tactic. Look out for it and use it whenever the opportunity arrives in your games.