Fork: queen to a4
li-03XeVOpens 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 1571 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 c2, queen f3, rook b1 d2, knight a2 e2, pawn b2 f2 h2 c3 g3 e4 d5.
Black: king e7, queen d7, rook a8 h8, bishop c5, knight g6, pawn a5 e5 d6 f6 h6 c7 f7.
13 white and 13 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 20.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 32 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on c2, the black king on e7.
It is Black to move on move 20, with 42 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 7 pawns, Black 7. No file is fully open, so the heavy pieces have to be pried in. Half-open for Black: b, g.
The Black king has 3 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
20... Qa4+ 21. b3 Qxa2+ 22. Rb2 Qa3
Why it works
- Great move! queen to a4 keeps the pressure (+2.9).
- Well found: queen to a2 (+3.1).
- Strong! queen to a3 is the sharp choice (+3.1).
- You win a piece — the knight.
- If instead b3, then Qxa2+ and you win the knight.
Move by move
- 20… Qa4+ — queen to a4 with check
- 21. b3 — pawn to b3
- Qxa2+ — queen to a2 (capture) with check
- 22. Rb2 — rook to b2
- Qa3 — queen to a3
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 011
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