Fork: knight to c5 (d3)
li-0N7OVnaming 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 1943 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 b2, knight d3, pawn c2 a3 c6.
Black: king e6, rook d2, pawn h4 a5 f6.
5 white and 5 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 47.
The position in numbers
Black are ahead by 2 points of material (6 against 8; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on b2, the black king on e6.
It is White to move on move 47, with 15 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 3 pawns, Black 3. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): b, d, e, g — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: f, h.
The White king has 6 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
47. Nc5+ Kd6 48. Ne4+ Kxc6 49. Nxd2
Why it works
- Great move! knight to c5 keeps the pressure (+3.0).
- Well found: knight to e4 (+3.4).
- Strong! knight to d2 is the sharp choice (+3.9).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kd6, then Ne4+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 47. Nc5+ — knight to c5 with check
- Kd6 — king to d6
- 48. Ne4+ — knight to e4 with check
- Kxc6 — king to c6 (capture)
- 49. Nxd2 — knight to d2 (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.
Endgame tactic
Tactics live in the endgame too — strike while material is scarce.
Tactics do not retire when the queens come off: forks, pins and double attacks live on in the endgame. With so little material left, every tactical loss is almost always decisive. The signs are the usual ones — undefended pieces, king and piece on one line, a pawn about to promote. Even in a "technical" ending, scan for a shot before every move, both yours and your opponent's.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 014
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