Fork: queen to f8 (f3)
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 2048 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
White 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, queen f3, rook a1 e4, bishop c1, knight c4, pawn a2 b2 c2 d3 g3.
Black: king c8, queen d7, rook f8 g8, bishop d6, knight c6, pawn c5 e5 a6 b7 h7.
11 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 23.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 30 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 c8.
It is White to move on move 23, with 47 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 5 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): f — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: e, h.
The White king has 5 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
23. Qxf8+ Rxf8 24. Nb6+ Kc7 25. Nxd7
Why it works
- Brilliant! The queen on f8 is a sacrifice that works — you stand better (+2.9).
- Well found: knight to b6 (+3.0).
- Stunning! knight to d7 gives up material but you are winning (+3.1).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Rxf8, then Nb6+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 23. Qxf8+ — queen to f8 (capture) with check
- Rxf8 — rook to f8 (capture)
- 24. Nb6+ — knight to b6 with check
- Kc7 — king to c7
- 25. Nxd7 — knight to d7 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Sacrifice attack
Give up material to unleash a decisive attack.
A sacrificial attack gives up material on purpose to rip the king's shelter open and launch a decisive assault. The sac is sound when you get concrete assets in return: open lines to the king, tempi, pieces ready to pour in. The signs: a poorly sheltered king, your forces aimed at its home, defenders stranded far away. The iron rule is to calculate, not hope — once the material is gone, there is no way back.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 014
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