The exchange (chess) The exchange (chess) The exchange in chess refers to a situation in which one player loses a minor piece (i.e. a bishop or knight) but captures the opponent's rook. The side which wins the rook is said to have "won the exchange", while the other player has "lost the exchange", since the rook is usually more valuable. Alternatively, the side that has won the rook is "up the exchange", and the other player is "down the exchange". The opposing captures often happen on consecutive moves, although this is not strictly necessary. It is generally detrimental to lose the exchange, although
Fork (chess) Fork (chess) In chess, a fork is a tactic whereby a single piece makes two or more direct attacks simultaneously. Most commonly two pieces are threatened, which is also sometimes called a "". The attacker usually aims to gain by one of the opponent's pieces. The defender often finds it difficult to counter two or more threats in a single move. The attacking piece is called the "forking" piece; the pieces attacked are said to be "forked". A piece that is defended can still be said to be forked if the forking piece has a lower value. Besides attacking pieces,