Fork: rook to c5
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 1431 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 d2, rook c1, knight c5, pawn b2 g2 h2 e3 a4.
Black: king g6, rook c8, knight a5, pawn a6 e6 b7 g7 h7.
8 white and 8 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 26.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 13 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on d2, the black king on g6.
It is Black to move on move 26, with 24 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): c, d, f — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
The Black king has 6 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
26... Rxc5 27. Rxc5 Nb3+ 28. Kc3 Nxc5
Why it works
- Great move! rook to c5 keeps the pressure (+4.9).
- Well found: knight to b3 (+5.3).
- Strong! knight to c5 is the sharp choice (+5.4).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Rxc5, then Nb3+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 26… Rxc5 — rook to c5 (capture)
- 27. Rxc5 — rook to c5 (capture)
- Nb3+ — knight to b3 with check
- 28. Kc3 — king to c3
- Nxc5 — knight to c5 (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.
Winning exchange
A forced series of captures on one square ends in your favour.
A winning exchange is a forced series of captures on one square that leaves you ahead in material. It is pure arithmetic: count the attackers and defenders of the square and note the value of every piece in the queue. Capture in the right order — cheap pieces first, expensive ones later — or a winning trade turns into a losing one. The classic error is stopping the count halfway and missing the opponent's final recapture.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 011
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