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Ponderchess / Puzzles

Fork puzzles

211 fork puzzles from real games, rated 567 to 2636. Here are 18, from easiest to hardest.

A fork is one piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at once. Your opponent can only save one of them, so the other is lost. Knights are the classic forking piece because their jump cannot be blocked, but queens, pawns and even kings fork too.

In these puzzles the fork is often hidden behind a first move: a check or a capture that drives the king or queen onto the forking square, or clears the way for your piece to land there.

How to solve them: Look for two valuable enemy pieces, especially the king and queen, that stand a knight's jump or a straight line apart from one empty square. Then ask what forces them to stay there.

New to the idea? Read Fork in chess first.

18 fork puzzles to solve

Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 567

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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35...Nxe3+ 36.Kd3 Nxf1

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Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 698

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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36...Nf3+ 37.Kg3 Nxd2

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Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 810

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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13...Ne3+ 14.Kxf2 Nxd1+

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Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 902

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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40...Rd1+ 41.Kh2 Bf4+ 42.g3 Bxc7

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Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 979

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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32...Qe5+ 33.g3 Qxa1

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White to move · 2 moves · Rating 1088

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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19.Nxe7+ Kh8 20.Nxd5

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Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 1172

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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20...Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Bc2 22.Rd6 Bxb3

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White to move · 2 moves · Rating 1311

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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65.Qa2+ Ke3 66.Qxb3+

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White to move · 3 moves · Rating 1440

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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23.Rxe6+ Ne7 24.Rxd6 Rxf6 25.Rxf6

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Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 1565

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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29...Qc1+ 30.Kh2 Qxh6

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White to move · 3 moves · Rating 1679

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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38.Qe5+ Kg8 39.Bd5+ Nxd5 40.Qxe1

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Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 1791

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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83...Rc3+ 84.Kd2 Rd3+ 85.Qxd3+ Nxd3

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White to move · 5 moves · Rating 1913

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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28.Rh4+ Rh7 29.Rxh7+ Qxh7 30.Qf6+ Kg8 31.Rh4 Qxh4 32.Qxh4

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White to move · 4 moves · Rating 2037

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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18.Qf3+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kxg6 20.Nxe7+ Ncxe7 21.Qxb7

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Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 2141

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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25...Nd3+ 26.Qxd3 Rxd3 27.Rxe7 Rxe7

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Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 2244

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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38...Qb2+ 39.Ke3 Ng2+ 40.Kf3 Nh4+

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White to move · 4 moves · Rating 2402

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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25.Qxg7+ Ke7 26.Qe5+ Kd7 27.Nc5+ Kc8 28.Nxd3

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Black to move · 4 moves · Rating 2636

Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.

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36...Qf8 37.Ra2 Rf1+ 38.Kh2 Rf2+ 39.Kh3 Rxa2

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Train all 211 fork puzzles in the trainer, with a rating that adapts to you →

Positions from the open Lichess puzzle database (CC0).