Lessons Library
Basic Tactics: Forks and Pins
Master two essential tactical ideas: the fork and the pin.
Fork
A fork is one move that attacks two or more targets. Knights are famous for forks because their attacks cannot be blocked.
- A knight fork on king and queen often wins decisive material.
- Pawns can also fork pieces because they capture diagonally.
Pin
A pin happens when moving one piece would expose a more valuable piece behind it.
- An absolute pin is against the king, so the pinned piece cannot legally move if it exposes check.
- A relative pin is against a queen, rook, or other valuable piece.