Fork: queen to e8 (e2)
li-07vlTnaming 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 1450 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
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 g1, queen e2, rook a1 e1, bishop a3 b5, knight d4, pawn a2 c2 f2 g2 h2 c3.
Black: king g8, queen d8, rook a8 e8, bishop d7, knight g6 b8, pawn d5 a7 b7 f7 g7 h7.
13 white and 13 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 13.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 34 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on g1, the black king on g8.
It is White to move on move 13, with 48 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 6 pawns, Black 6. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): e — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: b, d.
White hold the bishop pair, an edge in open lines. 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
13. Qxe8+ Bxe8 14. Rxe8+ Qxe8 15. Bxe8
Why it works
- Great move! queen to e8 keeps the pressure (+5.0).
- Well found: rook to e8 (+5.1).
- Strong! bishop to e8 is the sharp choice (+5.0).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Bxe8, then Rxe8+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 13. Qxe8+ — queen to e8 (capture) with check
- Bxe8 — bishop to e8 (capture)
- 14. Rxe8+ — rook to e8 (capture) with check
- Qxe8 — queen to e8 (capture)
- 15. Bxe8 — bishop to e8 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Winning exchange
A forced series of captures on one square ends in your favour.
A winning exchange is a forced series of captures on one square that leaves you ahead in material. It is pure arithmetic: count the attackers and defenders of the square and note the value of every piece in the queue. Capture in the right order — cheap pieces first, expensive ones later — or a winning trade turns into a losing one. The classic error is stopping the count halfway and missing the opponent's final recapture.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 011
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