Strategy · Think ahead

Two birds, one stone

A fork is the clearest case of one move doing two jobs. Off the board, looking for that move becomes a habit only if you practise it there too, as this week’s task asks.

On the board, a fork attacks two things with one move, and only one of them can be saved. Here Nc7+ checks the king and attacks the rook on a8. Black must answer the check, and the rook falls.