Fork: queen to c2 (d1)
li-0A38Jnaming 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 2591 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 g2, queen g4, rook a1 e4, bishop c1, pawn b2 h2 f3 g3 b4.
Black: king g8, queen d1, rook a8 f8, pawn c4 a6 c6 h6 f7 g7.
10 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 28.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 2 points of material (27 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 g2, the black king on g8.
It is Black to move on move 28, with 36 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 5 pawns, Black 6. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): d, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: b.
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... Qc2+ 29. Kh3 f5 30. Qg6 fxe4
Why it works
- Great move! queen to c2 keeps the pressure (+3.5).
- Well found: pawn to f5 (+3.3).
- Strong! pawn to e4 is the sharp choice (+4.0).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kh3, then f5 and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 28… Qc2+ — queen to c2 with check
- 29. Kh3 — king to h3
- f5 — pawn to f5
- 30. Qg6 — queen to g6
- fxe4 — pawn to e4 (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.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 015
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