Fork: rook to e4
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 1392 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
Black to move — find the best continuation
How to recognize this tactic
A fork is one piece attacking two targets at once. Look for a knight, pawn or queen move that lands where it hits the king (or a bigger piece) and a second undefended unit on the same turn — the opponent can save only one.
General method: before you move, list the forcing candidates — every check, every capture, every direct threat — and calculate those first. The solution to a tactic is almost always among them.
Position on the board
White: king e5, queen c7.
Black: king g6, rook c4, knight f6, pawn c6.
2 white and 4 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 71.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 9 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on e5, the black king on g6.
It is Black to move on move 71, with 23 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 0 pawns, Black 1. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): a, b, d, e, f, g, h — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
The Black king has 3 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
71... Re4+ 72. Kd6 Ne8+ 73. Kd7 Nxc7
Why it works
- Great move! rook to e4 keeps the pressure (+4.8).
- Well found: knight to e8 (#15).
- Strong! knight to c7 is the sharp choice (#14).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Kd6, then Ne8+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 71… Re4+ — rook to e4 with check
- 72. Kd6 — king to d6
- Ne8+ — knight to e8 with check
- 73. Kd7 — king to d7
- Nxc7 — knight to c7 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Royal fork
A fork with check: the king must move, and the second piece is lost.
A royal fork is a fork with check — one of the two targets is the king itself. The check must be answered first, so nobody is left to rescue the second piece. Look for squares where your piece gives check and simultaneously attacks an undefended queen or rook. It is the most reliable fork of all, because your opponent literally has no choice.
Queen endgame
Queens on an open board — precision above all.
Queen endgames are treacherous: the queen reaches everywhere, and one slip turns a win into perpetual check. The signs are few pawns, exposed kings, and checks hanging in the air. Tuck your king away early, and use your own checks to bring the queen closer or push your passer with tempo. The typical mistake is grabbing pawns while leaving your king exposed to endless checks.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 010
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