A royal fork is a fork of the king and the queen, usually by a knight. The king must get out of check, so the queen is lost.
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Of all forks it wins the most. A knight that forks king and queen trades itself, at worst, for the strongest piece on the board.
How to do it
- 1Look for the enemy king and queen a knight's jump from the same square.
- 2Check that your knight is safe there, or that losing it still wins the queen.
- 3Play the fork with check, then take the queen.
For your level
A knight can check the king and hit the queen. The king must move. Then the queen is yours.
Common mistakes
- Putting your king and queen on squares one knight jump from the same point.
- Grabbing material when a royal fork was there.
Questions
- Can a piece other than a knight make a royal fork?
- Yes. A pawn, bishop or rook can attack king and queen together. The name is used most for knights, because their forks cannot be blocked.