Fork: queen to e5 (g5·2)
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The tactical motive
Fork: one piece attacks two targets at once — they can't both be saved.
Difficulty 2234 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 g1, queen e2, rook d1 e1, bishop a4 e5, knight b5, pawn a2 b2 f2 h2 g3 d5.
Black: king g8, queen g5, rook b7 f8, bishop a6 h6, knight h4, pawn a5 e6 g6 f7 h7.
13 white and 12 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 21.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (34 against 33; 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 g8.
It is Black to move on move 21, with 32 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 6 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): c — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: b, d.
The Black king has 0 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
21... Qxe5 22. Qxe5 Nf3+ 23. Kg2 Nxe5
Why it works
- Brilliant! The queen on e5 is a sacrifice that works — you stand better (+2.6).
- Well found: knight to f3 (+3.1).
- Strong! knight to e5 is the sharp choice (+3.2).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Qxe5, then Nf3+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 21… Qxe5 — queen to e5 (capture)
- 22. Qxe5 — queen to e5 (capture)
- Nf3+ — knight to f3 with check
- 23. Kg2 — king to g2
- Nxe5 — knight to e5 (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.
Winning exchange
A forced series of captures on one square ends in your favour.
A winning exchange is a forced series of captures on one square that leaves you ahead in material. It is pure arithmetic: count the attackers and defenders of the square and note the value of every piece in the queue. Capture in the right order — cheap pieces first, expensive ones later — or a winning trade turns into a losing one. The classic error is stopping the count halfway and missing the opponent's final recapture.
Sacrifice attack
Give up material to unleash a decisive attack.
A sacrificial attack gives up material on purpose to rip the king's shelter open and launch a decisive assault. The sac is sound when you get concrete assets in return: open lines to the king, tempi, pieces ready to pour in. The signs: a poorly sheltered king, your forces aimed at its home, defenders stranded far away. The iron rule is to calculate, not hope — once the material is gone, there is no way back.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 015
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