Double attack
A double attack is one move that creates two threats at once, whether they come from a single piece or from two, and whether they aim at pieces or at checkmate.
Think of it as the umbrella term for every move that does two jobs. A fork is the version where one piece hits two targets. Others include a discovered attack, where the unmasked piece and the mover each threaten something, and a move that attacks a piece while preparing checkmate.
The second target does not have to be material. A threat of mate is the heaviest threat there is, so pairing it with an attack on a loose piece makes a strong double attack: the opponent must stop the mate and the piece falls anyway. Back-rank threats are the commonest partner, because a king with no luft has to give up something.
To find these moves, review your candidates not by what they capture but by how many different things they threaten. Count captures, checks and mating ideas together. A rook lift to the seventh rank, for example, tends to hit loose pieces along the rank while eyeing the back rank.
To defend, make a habit of asking what your opponent's best move would threaten after it is played, and see whether one reply covers all of it. Missing luft, loose pieces and pieces defended only by the king are what make a double attack work.
In the diagram White plays Re7. The rook attacks the knight on a7 and threatens Re8# on the back rank. Black can stop the mate with a pawn move, but then Rxa7 wins the knight.
It sits close to Desperado piece. A desperado is a doomed piece that cashes in before it dies: it captures or gives check, taking the most it can from the position instead of being lost for nothing.
Also worth reading is Fork. A fork is a move that leaves one of your pieces threatening two enemy pieces together.
A neighboring idea is Pawn fork. A pawn fork is a pawn move that attacks two enemy pieces at once, one on each of the two diagonal squares ahead of the pawn, so only one of them can escape.
To see how often "Double attack" or a pattern like it decides your own games, book a first lesson: George Li reviews your games and writes a study plan around what he finds.
Related terms
A fork is a move that leaves one of your pieces threatening two enemy pieces together. Because the opponent gets only one turn to respond, something usually falls.
In a discovered attack one of your pieces steps off a line, and that move unmasks a bishop, rook or queen standing behind it, so a single turn produces two threats.
A knight fork is a move that places a knight on a square from which it attacks two or more enemy pieces at once, so the opponent cannot save them all.
A pawn fork is a pawn move that attacks two enemy pieces at once, one on each of the two diagonal squares ahead of the pawn, so only one of them can escape.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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