Fork: rook to g4
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 2077 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
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 g5, rook f1 a3, knight g4, pawn a2 g2 h2 d5.
Black: king g8, queen c2, rook d4 f8, knight g7, pawn d3 g6 f7.
9 white and 8 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 28.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (26 against 25; 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 28, with 38 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): b, c, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: a, h.
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
28... Rxg4 29. Qxg4 Qc5+ 30. Kh1 Qxa3
Why it works
- Great move! rook to g4 keeps the pressure (+4.7).
- Well found: queen to c5 (+4.5).
- Strong! queen to a3 is the sharp choice (+4.9).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Qxg4, then Qc5+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 28… Rxg4 — rook to g4 (capture)
- 29. Qxg4 — queen to g4 (capture)
- Qc5+ — queen to c5 with check
- 30. Kh1 — king to h1
- Qxa3 — queen to a3 (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 015
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