What this worksheet practises

A fork is the first real tactic most children learn, and the knight is the best piece to learn it with. Its L-shaped jump is hard for the opponent to see, so forks win material even against older players.

In every puzzle the correct knight move attacks at least two of: the king, the queen, a rook. The answer key shows the whole line, including the piece White wins at the end.

Try two puzzles now

It is White's move. Find the knight jump that attacks two big pieces at once. These are the first two puzzles from the sheet.

Puzzle 1: White to move
Show answer

1. Ne7+ Kf8 2. Nxc8, wins the rook

Puzzle 2: White to move
Show answer

1. Nf6+ Kg7 2. Nxe4, wins the queen

Tips for parents and teachers

  • Warm up by placing a knight in the centre of an empty board and counting its 8 squares.
  • Ask your child to find the square that touches two black pieces first, then check whether a knight can reach it.
  • A fork with check is the strongest kind: Black must move the king, and the other piece is lost.

Want more than 12 puzzles?

Karotto's chess course walks children from how the pieces move to checkmate patterns and tactics, one short lesson at a time. A friendly voice reads every step aloud, and when your child is stuck, the app shows why a move works instead of just giving the answer.

Download on the App Store → Get it on Google Play →

Questions

Is this chess worksheet really free?

Yes. You can print it as many times as you like for your own children, your class or your chess club. We only ask that you share the link to this page rather than uploading the PDF somewhere else.

What age is the Knight Forks worksheet for?

It suits children of about 7–10 who already know how all the pieces move. Age matters less than experience: if your child solves fewer than 7 of the 12 puzzles, try the previous sheet in the series first.

Does my child need to know chess notation?

No. Children can draw an arrow on the board to show their move. The answer key uses standard notation (for example Qh7#) and also shows each first move as a green arrow.

Where do the puzzles come from?

Every position comes from a real game in the Lichess.org puzzle database, which is released into the public domain (CC0). We picked easy, popular puzzles and checked each one with a chess program so that it has only one correct answer.

Puzzle positions: Lichess.org puzzle database, CC0. Worksheet design © Karotto, free for personal and classroom use.