Fork: queen to f1 (d3)
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 1884 ShuffleRating — for advanced tacticians.
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 h1, rook e5, bishop b2, knight d4, pawn g2 a3 h3 b5.
Black: king g8, queen d3, pawn d5 h6 g7.
8 white and 5 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 40.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 3 points of material (15 against 12; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on h1, the black king on g8.
It is Black to move on move 40, with 27 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 4 pawns, Black 3. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): c, e, f — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: a, b.
The Black king has 4 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
40... Qf1+ 41. Kh2 Qf4+ 42. Kg1 Qxe5
Why it works
- Great move! queen to f1 keeps the pressure (+3.1).
- Well found: queen to f4 (+3.5).
- Strong! queen to e5 is the sharp choice (+3.5).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kh2, then Qf4+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 40… Qf1+ — queen to f1 with check
- 41. Kh2 — king to h2
- Qf4+ — queen to f4 with check
- 42. Kg1 — king to g1
- Qxe5 — queen to e5 (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.
Queen endgame
Queens on an open board — precision above all.
Queen endgames are treacherous: the queen reaches everywhere, and one slip turns a win into perpetual check. The signs are few pawns, exposed kings, and checks hanging in the air. Tuck your king away early, and use your own checks to bring the queen closer or push your passer with tempo. The typical mistake is grabbing pawns while leaving your king exposed to endless checks.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 014
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