Fork: queen to d1 (d2)
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 1586 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 g1, rook g4 c7, pawn f2 g2 e3 h3.
Black: king h5, queen d2, pawn a5 e6 f7 g7 h7.
7 white and 7 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 33.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 14 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on g1, the black king on h5.
It is Black to move on move 33, with 25 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 4 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): b, c, d — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
The Black king has 1 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
33... Qd1+ 34. Kh2 Qd6+ 35. g3 Qxc7
Why it works
- Great move! queen to d1 keeps the pressure (+5.1).
- Well found: queen to d6 (+5.6).
- Strong! queen to c7 is the sharp choice (+5.8).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kh2, then Qd6+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 33… Qd1+ — queen to d1 with check
- 34. Kh2 — king to h2
- Qd6+ — queen to d6 with check
- 35. g3 — pawn to g3
- Qxc7 — queen to c7 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Winning blow
Find the strike that wins material by force.
A winning blow is a forced material gain that does not fit a single textbook motif. The general tactical recipe applies: spot loose pieces, an awkwardly placed king, overloaded lines. Go through the forcing moves in order of violence — checks, captures, threats — because most combinations start with one of them. Do not judge by feel: calculate the concrete line until the outcome is beyond doubt.
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 011
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