Day 439: Rook fork
Target rating: 1172
Lesson of the day
A rook fork attacks two targets from one square — one along the file, the other along the rank. Look for enemy pieces standing at a right angle to each other, both visible from a single safe square. This is bread and butter in endgames, where a rook check picks up loose pieces and pawns along the way. Test every rook check you have: does it also hit something valuable on the other line?
Warm-up
1. Winning blow: knight to c5 (b3·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
2. Winning blow: queen to a6 (f1·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
3. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d6 (e4·11)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
4. Winning blow: knight to d7 (c5·8)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
5. Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d6 (f5·17)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
6. Winning blow: king to h1 (g1·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
7. Winning blow: queen to c7 (b7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
8. Winning blow: king to e2 (d3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
9. Winning blow: rook to d8 (d7·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
10. Winning blow: king to e1 (f2·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Core set
11. Winning blow: rook to c8 (c1·10)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
12. Winning blow: rook to d7 (d6·4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
13. Winning blow: rook to b3 (d3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
14. Winning blow: rook to g8 (g4)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
15. Winning blow: rook to c6 (c7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
16. Winning blow: queen to b5 (c5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
17. Winning blow: bishop to f2 (g1·6)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
18. Winning blow: rook to g5 (g6·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
19. Winning blow: pawn to c7 (c6·7)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
20. Winning blow: rook to e7 (e5·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
21. Winning blow: rook to h8 (h7·5)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
22. Winning blow: rook to c5 (c1·10)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
23. Winning blow: pawn to b4 (a3·3)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
24. Winning blow: rook to d7 (d1·16)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
25. Winning blow: rook to c3 (d3·2)Analysis
White to move — find the best continuation
Challenge
Review
Day complete — every puzzle solved. See you tomorrow!
Day 440 →