Fork: queen to f8
li-05Eg7Opens 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 1751 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 f3, queen f7, rook a1 f1, bishop d3, knight d6, pawn a2 f2 c4 d4 e5.
Black: king h6, queen g5, rook h5 f8, bishop a6, knight d7, pawn f5 b6 c6 g6 a7.
11 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 28.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 30 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on f3, the black king on h6.
It is White to move on move 28, with 39 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): h — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: b, g.
The White king has 1 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
28. Qxf8+ Nxf8 29. Nf7+ Kg7 30. Nxg5
Why it works
- Great move! queen to f8 keeps the pressure (+4.2).
- Well found: knight to f7 (+4.1).
- Strong! knight to g5 is the sharp choice (+4.4).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Nxf8, then Nf7+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 28. Qxf8+ — queen to f8 (capture) with check
- Nxf8 — knight to f8 (capture)
- 29. Nf7+ — knight to f7 with check
- Kg7 — king to g7
- 30. Nxg5 — knight to g5 (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.
Sacrifice attack
Give up material to unleash a decisive attack.
A sacrificial attack gives up material on purpose to rip the king's shelter open and launch a decisive assault. The sac is sound when you get concrete assets in return: open lines to the king, tempi, pieces ready to pour in. The signs: a poorly sheltered king, your forces aimed at its home, defenders stranded far away. The iron rule is to calculate, not hope — once the material is gone, there is no way back.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 013
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