As the saying goes, don’t argue with a fork. It will poke holes in your story. In this week’s position, white pokes a hole in black’s position and wins material. With this hint, please try to find black’s best move.
That both of black’s rooks are on light squares forming a short diagonal on d7 and c8 suggests that white’s light-squared bishop may be able to skewer the rooks. That this diagonal intersects with the e6 -g8 diagonal at the end of which sits the black king opens another tactical door. Rook takes pawn on e6 kicks opens the door.
The point is if the rook sacrifice is accepted, white’s bishop takes the pawn on e6 with check (see next diagram).
After the black king retreats, white’s bishop snatches black’s rook on d7.
Black’s best reply to the rook capture on e6 is to not take the rook, but instead to hop its knight to d5. White’s bishop takes the knight and black’s d7 rook takes the bishop. Black does not take the rook because the fork is still in the air.
After the black’s rook takes the bishop, white slides its rook to a6, threatening black’s a7 pawn (see next diagram).
White has won a pawn and has a superior position. The position is white’s to win, black’s to draw or lose.
What has teeth, no hands and a wicked bite? A chess fork. Dinner forks have no place at the chessboard.
Reach Eric Morrow at ericmorrowlaw@gmail.com or (505) 327-7121.