Fork: queen to a8 (d5)
li-0Kzfunaming 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 1907 ShuffleRating — for advanced tacticians.
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 d5, rook d1, bishop h3, pawn a2 f2 h2 g3.
Black: king g8, queen e2, rook c2, bishop f6, pawn h6 a7 f7 g7.
8 white and 8 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 24.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 21 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 24, with 46 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, c, d, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
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
24. Qa8+ Kh7 25. Bf5+ g6 26. Bxc2
Why it works
- Great move! queen to a8 keeps the pressure (+4.5).
- Well found: bishop to f5 (+4.5).
- Strong! bishop to c2 is the sharp choice (+4.5).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kh7, then Bf5+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 24. Qa8+ — queen to a8 with check
- Kh7 — king to h7
- 25. Bf5+ — bishop to f5 with check
- g6 — pawn to g6
- 26. Bxc2 — bishop to c2 (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 014
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