Fork: bishop to d5
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 684 ShuffleRating — for beginners taking their first steps in Chess960 tactics.
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 b3, rook g8, pawn g3 h4.
Black: king d6, bishop e4, pawn f5 h5 g6.
4 white and 5 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 50.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (7 against 6; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on b3, the black king on d6.
It is Black to move on move 50, with 20 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 2 pawns, Black 3. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): a, b, c, d, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
The Black king has 8 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
50... Bd5+ 51. Kc3 Bxg8
Why it works
- Great move! bishop to d5 keeps the pressure (+7.6).
- Well found: bishop to g8 (+8.4).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kc3, then Bxg8 and you win the rook.
Move by move
- 50… Bd5+ — bishop to d5 with check
- 51. Kc3 — king to c3
- Bxg8 — bishop to g8 (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.
Endgame tactic
Tactics live in the endgame too — strike while material is scarce.
Tactics do not retire when the queens come off: forks, pins and double attacks live on in the endgame. With so little material left, every tactical loss is almost always decisive. The signs are the usual ones — undefended pieces, king and piece on one line, a pawn about to promote. Even in a "technical" ending, scan for a shot before every move, both yours and your opponent's.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 001
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