Fork: knight to c6 (d4)
li-0Gocinaming 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 2092 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
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 f6, rook c1, knight d4, pawn f2 g2 h2 a4.
Black: king a5, queen c5, rook e4 b8, pawn c3 d5 h5 a6.
8 white and 8 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 40.
The position in numbers
Black are ahead by 2 points of material (21 against 23; 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 a5.
It is White to move on move 40, with 42 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 4 pawns, Black 4. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): b, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: c, d.
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
40. Nc6+ Kxa4 41. Nxb8 Kb3 42. Nxa6
Why it works
- Great move! knight to c6 keeps the pressure (+2.0).
- Well found: knight to b8 (+2.5).
- Precise: knight to a6 is the top choice (+2.8).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kxa4, then Nxb8 and you win the rook.
Move by move
- 40. Nc6+ — knight to c6 with check
- Kxa4 — king to a4 (capture)
- 41. Nxb8 — knight to b8 (capture)
- Kb3 — king to b3
- 42. Nxa6 — knight to a6 (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
Similar puzzles
In your browser or in the Android app. Nothing to install · Free, no ads