Fork Solutions

3: Black to play
3) Pavlov Pianov – Alekhine
1: White to play Moscow 1919
1) Stefanova – Dembo He can win those pawns, but also with a decent
bonus:
European Women’s Ch, Kusadasi 2006
27...Qxh2+!
White can do so by employing a fork, but must first
decoy the king to a square that allows this: Decoying the white king to the forking range of the
black knight.
51 Rg7+! Kxg7 52 Nf5+
28 Kxh2 Nxg4+ 29 Kg3 Nxe3 30 Rxe3 Rxf5
leaving White a piece ahead.
Black has won the exchange...
31 Bf4 Re6
...and his rooks are even spinning a mating-net
around the white king.

2: White to play
2) Kasparov – Bareev
Cannes rapid 2001
By a swift mating attack:
4: White to play
40 Nd7+!
4) Hou Yifan – Skripchenko
To vacate a square for an even stronger check.
Women’s Olympiad, Istanbul 2012
40...Bxd7 41 Qf6+ 1-0
White can show it to be illusory with...
This looks like another fork but in fact it’s mate next
move either by the queen or by the knight – and 42 Rxc7!
curiously on the very same square. Deflecting the queen so that the rook is left
unprotected.
42...Qxc7 43 Qd1+ 1-0 The fork leads to another pair of forks: 36...Bxf6 37
Rxh5+ or 36...Qxf6 37 Qxh5+ +–.
It’s a fork next: 43...Kh6 44 Qc1+.

7: White to play
5: Black to play
7) Lasker – NN
5) Barcza – Tal
Casual game 1920
Tallinn 1971
White wins brilliantly with a double decoy:
Ready to bring his king to safety, White is surprised
by an unexpected intruder: 1 Rc8+! Rxc8 2 Qa7+!! Kxa7 3 bxc8N+! +–
9...Bh3! 10 Nfxd4 The new-born knight forks the royal couple and
White comfortably wins the resulting ending.
10 0-0 loses the exchange following 10...Nxf3+ 11
Bxf3 Bxf1 –+.
10...Bxg2 –+
After 11 Rg1 exd4 Black won a piece and the game.

8: White to play
8) Petrosian – Simagin
Moscow Ch (5) 1956
6: White to play He can cut the struggle much shorter by:
6) Anand – Lobron 44 Qa8+! Kg7 45 Bxe5+!
Dortmund 1996 A fork.
36 Nf6! 45...Qxe5 46 Qh8+!!
A knight retreat allows counterplay: 36 Ne3?! Be5 A skewer.
37 Qg1 Rg8.
46...Kxh8 47 Nxf7+ 1-0
1-0 And a fork to conclude.
 9: White to play 11: White to play and win
9) Capablanca – Fonaroff 11) A. Åkerblom
New York 1918 Mora Tidning, 1925
A fine blend of motifs is the most straightforward For experienced solvers, the fact that all the thematic
way to reach the goal: pieces are on light squares should be a good hint.
20 Nh6+ 1 c4+!
Profiting from the pin along the g-file. The first fork with two echoing lines:
20...Kh8 21 Qxe5! Qxe5 22 Nxf7+! 1-0 a) 1...Kxc4 2 Bf7! Qxf7 3 Nd6+ +–.
The winning fork is made possible by the back b) 1...Qxc4 2 Be2! Qxe2 3 Nd4+ +–.
rank’s weakness. Two sacrificial skewers, each followed by a fork.

10: Black to play 12: White to play and win

10) Stefansson – Carlsen
European Team Ch, Khersonissos 2007
A surprising fork ambush was sprung:
22...Qxf3!! 23 gxf3 Bxc3 24 Rxd8 Rxd8 25 f4
Since 25 Qxc3 is met by 25...Rd1+ 26 Kg2 Nf4+ 27
Kg3 Ne2+ –+.
25...Rd4! 0-1
After 26 Qb3 Bxb4 the win is just a matter of
technique.
12) E. Pogosiants
6th Sp. Comm., Sportivnaya Gazeta, 1976
Yes it can, but the utmost precision is required.
1 Qb8+!
Both 1 Qd2+? Ke5 and 1 Qh2+? Kf5 are refuted by
‘only’ moves yet sufficient ones.
1...Ke4 2 Qb1+!
A second long and aesthetic check.
2...Kf4 3 Qf1+ Ke5 4 Qb5+ +–
Both rooks are simultaneously forked.

15: White to play and draw

13: White to play and draw 15) G. Zakhodiakin
13) A. Troitsky Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1932
Source unknown In fact, White can still regain a piece thanks to a pair
of knight forks:
Yes, with the help of two consecutive forks, one per
piece: 1 Bc8!
1 Bb6+! Not 1 Ba6? Rxd5+ 2 Kh4 Rd6, when Black wins.
Decoying the queen so that it will be won with a 1...Rxd5+ 2 Kg4! Rc5! 3 Nd8!!
second fork. Both 3 Ne7? Rc7 and 3 Na7? Rc7 fail due to forks
1...Qxb6 2 e7+ Ke8 3 Nf6+! Kxe7 4 Nd5+ = by the black rook.
Winning the queen. 3...Rxc8 4 Nf7+ Kg7
The other forking idea is 4...Kh7 5 Ng5+.
5 Nd6 =

14: White to play and draw

14) L. Prokeš
Ztec, 1943 16: White to play and draw
Yes, a clever forking manoeuvre does the trick: 16) A. Troitsky
1 Nh4+ Ke5 2 Be4! Novoye Vremia, 1895
The bishop vacates a key square for the knight. A fork and two stalemates save the day.
2...Kxe4 3 Nf3 b1Q 4 Nd2+ = 1 Rf5+
Now the black king has two options:
1...Ke7
Or 1...Kg7 2 Kh3 g1Q 3 Rg5+ Bxg5 stalemate.
2 Re5+ Kf6 3 Re1! Bxe1+ 4 Kh3! g1N+
Promotion to queen or rook is stalemate, while a
bishop promotion leads nowhere.
5 Kg2 Ne2 6 Kf1 =
The king forks two minor pieces.

18: White to play and draw

18) L. Prokeš
Tijdschrift v.d. KNSB, 1939
The rook and knight combine to create wonders:
1 Rb7+! Ka8
1...Kxb7 2 Nxc5+ Kc6 3 Nxb3 Kb5 4 Kf5 Kb4 5
17: White to play and draw Na1 Kc3 6 Ke4 Kb2 7 Kd3 Kxa1 8 Kc2 =.
17) E. Pogosiants 2 Rxb3 a1Q 3 Nc7+ Ka7 4 Ra3+! Qxa3 5 Nb5+ =
Shakhmatnaya Moskva, 1959
He can, with some imaginative though forced
sacrificial play and a handful of forks.
1 Re4+ Kg5 2 Re5+! Kh6
The alternatives are 2...Nxe5 3 Ne4+ and 2...Qxe5 3
Nf7+.
3 Rh5+! Kxh5
3...Kg7 is met by 4 Ne8+.
4 g4+ Kh6
4...Kg5 5 Ne4+.
5 g5+! Kxg5
Or 5...Qxg5 6 Nf7+.
6 Ne4+ =