THE FORK TRICK

Perhaps you've watched a man called Uri Geller bending forks on television. I've got no idea how he does it. It is a trick or does he have a special gift? In chess you can also do tricks with forks. Anyone can do them: you don't need special gifts for these FORK TRICKS.

You know what a FORK is, don't you? A move with one of your pieces to THREATEN two enemy pieces at the same time.

To do the FORK TRICK all we need is a pawn. This sort of FORK won't always win you the game but it will give you a good position from the opening.

Let's start with these moves:

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6

4. Bf1-c4 (Diagram)

It's Black to move. What would you play?

There's nothing at all wrong with Bf8-c5 or Bf8-b4, both good DEVELOPING moves, but Black has an interesting alternative which might surprise you if you haven't seen it before.

4... Nf6xe4

If White doesn't take it he's just lost a Pawn, so...

5. Nc3xe4

Why has Black given up a Knight for a Pawn? Has he gone mad? No, he's just playing a FORK TRICK. What's his next move?

5... d7-d5

That's it! A PAWN FORK! If White moves the Bishop we'll take the Knight. And if he moves the Knight we'll take the Bishop. Black isn't winning yet but he's solved his opening problems. We'll return to this position later, but first a few more examples.

White can play the FORK TRICK just as easily:

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Nb1-c3 Bf8-c5 (Diagram)

What can White play now? He could develop with Bf1-c4 or Bc1-b5 but we recommend you play...

4. Nf3xe5

in this position.

You can play it in the Ruy Lopez as well:

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Bf1-b5 Ng8-f6

4. 0-0 Bf8-c5 (Diagram)

Again, White has a choice of good moves here. One of the most popular is...

5. Nf3xe5

In this course we look mostly at openings starting 1. e2-e4 e7-e5. As you progress in your chess career you'll learn lots of other openings, some of which will also give you the chance to play a FORK TRICK!

For instance:

1. e2-e4 d7-d6

2. d2-d4 Ng8-f6

These are the first moves of the PIRC DEFENCE, named after a Yugoslavian Grandmaster, and pronounced PEERTS, not PERK.

3. Nb1-c3 g7-g6

4. Ng1-f3 Bf8-g7

5. Bf1-c4 0-0

6. 0-0 (Diagram)

Again, a possible move for Black is Nf6xe4, and if Nc3xe4, d7-d5 FORKS Knight and Bishop.

In this Junior game, Black tried the FORK TRICK in the Sicilian Defence.

1. e2-e4 c7-c5

2. Nb1-c3 d7-d6

3. Ng1-f3 Ng8-f6

4. Bf1-c4 (Diagram)

Here Black played Nf6xe4. Was that a good idea. Stop and work it out, using CCT.

No, it wasn't! After 4... Nf6xe4? 5. Nc3xd4 d7-d5 White could get out of the FORK. Do you see how? He played 5. Bc4-b5+, which gave him time to move his Knight to safety.

You really have to be careful before you play the FORK TRICK. If you get it wrong you end up losing a piece.

After the moves

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Bf1-c4 Bf8-c5 (Diagram)

would you play 4. Nf3xe5?

It often happens, but I hope YOU wouldn't do it! After 4. Nf3xe5? Nc6xe5 5. d2-d4 Black can play Ne5xc4 and remain a piece ahead.

You CAN'T play the FORK TRICK with White if you've got a Bishop on c4, or with Black if you've got a Bishop on c5.

Remembering ideas like this is an important part of learning to play good chess. But something that works in one position might not work in a very similar position. You always have to stop and work it out before you play it.

Let's now go back to our first example and see how play might develop.

Do you remember the moves?

1. e2-e4 e7-e5

2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6

3. Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6

4. Bf1-c4 Nf6xe4 (Diagram)

Firstly, you might have noticed a clever move for White instead of taking the Knight:

5. Bc4xf7+ Ke8xf7

6. Nc3xe4

Perhaps White's feeling happy because he's stopped Black Castling. Let's play a few more moves.

6... d7-d5

7. Ne4-g5+ Kf7-g8 (Diagram)

What do you think about this position? Do you prefer White or Black?

1. Black has much better CENTRE CONTROL: look at those two fantastic Pawns on d5 and e5 - Danny and Eddie's dream position. Remember the SPACE INVADERS!

2. Black has won Bishop for Knight: BISHOPS ARE BETTER THAN KNIGHTS IN OPEN POSITIONS.

3. White's Knights are in a tangle. Black will probably play h7-h6 next move, when the White Knight will have to go back to h3. Then if White castles, Black might play Bc8xh3 to give White a DOUBLE HARRY.

I think Black has a large advantage in this position.

So, going back to move 5, White usually plays:

5. Nc3xe4 d7-d5 (Diagram)

What do you think White should play here?

I repeat: BISHOPS ARE BETTER THAN KNIGHTS IN OPEN POSITIONS. So White should move his Bishop. The best move is 6. Bc4-d3 which leads to a level position after 6... d5xe4 7. Bd3xe4. White sometimes tries 6. Bc4-b5, which works well for Black after 6... d5xe4 7. Nf3xe5 Qd8-d5.

But the move most of your opponents will probably play, if they don't know this lesson, is...

6. Bc4xd5

when play might continue...

6... Qd8-d5

7. Ne4-c3 Qd5-d8 (Diagram)

Qd5-a5 is also good. Yes, Black has wasted two moves with his Queen, but it doesn't really matter as White has wasted two moves with his Knight.

White has a slight lead in development, it's true, but Black has a pawn in the centre and the advantage of Bishop for Knight.

7. 0-0 Bc8-g4

Why does Black play this move?

It's PINNING the Knight and aiming for the DOUBLE FREDDIE.

8. d2-d3 Bf8-c5

Now, if White's not careful he can fall into a trap:

9. Bc1-g5 (Diagram)

Black's Queen is attacked. What should he do about it?

Did you suggest Qd8xg5? That's a clever way to exchange pieces, but it doesn't win anything. The winning move is Bg4xf3!, when whatever White does Black comes out a piece ahead. For instance, if 10. Qd1xf3, Qd8xg5, or if 10. Bg5xd8, Bf3xd1, or if 10. Qd1-d2, f7-f6.

Now remember that idea and have a look at this game.

White: Kotkov Black: Akopian

Krasnodar 1966

1. e2-e4 e7-e6

2. d2-d4 d7-d5

The FRENCH DEFENCE.

3. Nb1-d2 d5xe4

4. Nd2xe4 Bc8-d7

5. Ng1-f3 Bd7-c6

6. Bf1-d3 Ng8-f6

7. Ne4xf6+ Qd8xf6

8. Bc1-g5

"My Queen is in trouble, but so what! I can win a piece" thought Black.

8... Bc6xf3 (Diagram)

After 9. Qd1xf3 Qf6xg5 10. Qf3xb7, Black has Qg5-d5. The winning move is 9. Qd1-d2. Black's Queen is THREATENED and has only one move - Qf5xd4. What would White play in that position? CCT! The two Queens are in line with a Bishop between them. Black's Queen is undefended (LOOSE PIECES DROP OFF!). So White looks at what he can do with his d3 Bishop, and finds Bd3-b5+! Black must get out of check, and next move White will take the Queen.

In fact Black can play 9... Bf3xg2 when he gets Bishop and Rook for Queen, but he still has a lost position, so he resigned after Qd1-d2.

This example shows you again that you can't be too careful. Positions that look similar may turn out to be completely different.

1. Learn and remember the idea of the FORK TRICK.

2. If you see a chance to play it use CCT to check that it works first.

3. If you want to develop your Bishop to c4 in the opening, do so on move 3, not on move 4. If you then want to play a closed game, play d2-d3 before Nb1-c3.

4. Remember: BISHOPS ARE BETTER THAN KNIGHTS IN OPEN POSITIONS.

5. Remember the tactical idea: he plays a Bishop to g5 to attack your Queen: you play Bishop takes Knight on f3 to attack his Queen and win a piece.