Fork: knight to d7 (e5·3)
li-04y3xnaming 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 1934 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 f1, rook c1 c7, knight e5, pawn g2 e3 f3 h3 d4.
Black: king f8, rook a2 b8, knight e8, pawn d5 f5 g5 e6 h6.
9 white and 9 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 36.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 18 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on f1, the black king on f8.
It is White to move on move 36, with 36 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): a, b, c — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
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
36. Nd7+ Kg8 37. Nxb8 Nxc7 38. Rxc7
Why it works
- Great move! knight to d7 keeps the pressure (+3.9).
- Well found: knight to b8 (+4.1).
- Strong! rook to c7 is the sharp choice (+4.1).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kg8, then Nxb8 and you win the rook.
Move by move
- 36. Nd7+ — knight to d7 with check
- Kg8 — king to g8
- 37. Nxb8 — knight to b8 (capture)
- Nxc7 — knight to c7 (capture)
- 38. Rxc7 — rook to c7 (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 014
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