Fork: queen to d2
li-0B6QcOpens 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 2365 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 f2, queen b3, rook c1 h1, bishop f1, knight e6, pawn a2 g2 h2 e3 f3.
Black: king g8, queen a5, rook a8 f8, bishop a6, knight f6, pawn b6 a7 g7 h7.
11 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 17.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (30 against 29; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on f2, the black king on g8.
It is Black to move on move 17, with 43 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 5 pawns, Black 4. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): c, d — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: e, f.
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
17... Qd2+ 18. Kg3 Qxc1 19. Bxa6 Qxh1
Why it works
- Best move. queen to d2 is exactly what the engine plays (+1.9).
- Well found: queen to c1 (+2.2).
- Strong! queen to h1 is the sharp choice (+4.1).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kg3, then Qxc1 and you win the rook.
Move by move
- 17… Qd2+ — queen to d2 with check
- 18. Kg3 — king to g3
- Qxc1 — queen to c1 (capture)
- 19. Bxa6 — bishop to a6 (capture)
- Qxh1 — queen to h1 (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.
Relative pin
A piece shields a more valuable one behind it — moving it loses material.
In a relative pin the piece shields not its king but something valuable behind it, usually the queen. Moving is legal but costly, because the piece behind falls. Look for three units on one line: your long-range piece, a cheaper enemy piece, and an expensive one hiding behind. Beware the classic trap — a relatively pinned piece can still move with check or a bigger threat, so verify before you cash in.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 015
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