Fork: queen to e6 (f5)
li-0N9USnaming 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 2053 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 f5, rook c1 b2, knight g4, pawn g2 h2 e3 d4 f4.
Black: king g8, queen c7, rook c8 f8, bishop a6, pawn c4 b5 f6 g7 h7.
10 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 28.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 27 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 28, with 45 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 5 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): a — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: b, c.
The White king has 3 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
28. Qe6+ Kh8 29. Qxa6 Ra8 30. Qe6
Why it works
- Great move! queen to e6 keeps the pressure (+2.9).
- Well found: queen to a6 (+3.0).
- Strong! queen to e6 is the sharp choice (+2.8).
- You win a piece — the bishop.
- If instead Kh8, then Qxa6 and you win the bishop.
Move by move
- 28. Qe6+ — queen to e6 with check
- Kh8 — king to h8
- 29. Qxa6 — queen to a6 (capture)
- Ra8 — rook to a8
- 30. Qe6 — queen to e6
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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