Fork: bishop to f2 (c5)
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 1118 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 g1, queen h3, rook e1, bishop b3, pawn a2 b2 f2 g2 h2 c3 e6.
Black: king g8, queen g5, rook d2, bishop c5, pawn b5 a6 c6 f7 g7 h7.
11 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 24.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (24 against 23; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on g1, the black king on g8.
It is Black to move on move 24, with 46 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 7 pawns, Black 6. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): d — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: e.
The Black king has 2 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
24... Bxf2+ 25. Kf1 Bxe1 26. exf7+ Kf8
Why it works
- Great move! bishop to f2 keeps the pressure (+3.9).
- Well found: bishop to e1 (+4.3).
- Strong! king to f8 is the sharp choice (+4.4).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kf1, then Bxe1 and you win the rook.
Move by move
- 24… Bxf2+ — bishop to f2 (capture) with check
- 25. Kf1 — king to f1
- Bxe1 — bishop to e1 (capture)
- 26. exf7+ — pawn to f7 (capture) with check
- Kf8 — king to f8
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.
Win the pinned piece
The pinned piece cannot run — attack it again and win it.
A pinned piece cannot flee, which means you can win it outright by attacking it one more time. Count attackers against defenders: if you outnumber them, the piece is yours. The best extra attacker is a pawn, since it costs less than anything it might capture. Do not rush the capture — build up the pressure first, then harvest.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 007
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