Chess Tactics Guide: The Fork

The Fork is a tactic where a single piece makes two or more direct attacks at the same time. It is what I call hitting two birds (sometimes more) with 1 stone.Oftentimes, two pieces are threatened which is why it is also known as double attack. A successful fork usually gives the attacking player a gain in material by capturing one of the opponent's pieces. Because of its nature, the defender has difficulty countering such attack.

 You can look into the following examples at Chess Tactics Guide: The Fork and Chess for Novices.