Fork: knight to e7 (d5·6)
li-02ovTnaming tag (square·N)Opens in the app if installed, otherwise downloads the APK.
The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 1710 ShuffleRating — for advanced tacticians.
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 c1, queen f3, rook d1 h1, knight d5, pawn a2 b2 c2 f2 g2 d3 e4 h4.
Black: king g8, queen g6, rook a8 f8, bishop e6, knight d4, pawn c5 e5 d6 a7 b7 f7 g7 h7.
13 white and 14 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 14.
The position in numbers
Black are ahead by 3 points of material (30 against 33; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on c1, the black king on g8.
It is White to move on move 14, with 38 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 8 pawns, Black 8. No file is fully open, so the heavy pieces have to be pried in.
The White king has 2 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
14. Ne7+ Kh8 15. Nxg6+ fxg6 16. Qe3
Why it works
- Great move! knight to e7 keeps the pressure (+2.3).
- A brilliant blow: knight to g6, and you stand better (+2.3).
- Strong! queen to e3 is the sharp choice (+2.4).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Kh8, then Nxg6+ and you win the queen.
Move by move
- 14. Ne7+ — knight to e7 with check
- Kh8 — king to h8
- 15. Nxg6+ — knight to g6 (capture) with check
- fxg6 — pawn to g6 (capture)
- 16. Qe3 — queen to e3
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.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 013
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