BIP-110 Fork Sits 18 Blocks Behind Bitcoin’s Main Chain After Roughnecks Split

The chain split happened fast. At block height 961632, the Bitcoin network fractured — and the BIP-110 minority fork has been playing catch-up ever since, now trailing the dominant chain by 18 blocks.

Mining pool Roughnecks triggered the split by producing a block at height 961633 in support of BIP-110. The main Bitcoin blockchain, meanwhile, kept moving — reaching block 961651 without pausing. Antpool, one of the largest pools by hashrate, validated block 961632 on the dominant chain, effectively siding with the majority. Roughnecks pushed on anyway, mining 961633 on the minority fork. But the gap between the two chains has only widened since, and the math isn’t kind to the smaller side.

Not encouraging.

Difficulty at 127.48 Trillion Crushes the Minority Fork

Here’s the core problem. Both chains inherited the same difficulty level — 127.48 trillion — when the split happened at 961632. The main chain has the hashrate to handle that. Roughnecks and its allies don’t. Mining blocks at that difficulty with a fraction of the computing power available to the dominant chain is brutally slow work, and every block the main chain adds makes the gap harder to close.

Luke Dashjr, the developer behind Bitcoin Knots, didn’t mince words. He called the situation an attack from hostile miners against the Bitcoin network and urged users to upgrade immediately to Bitcoin Knots 29.3.knots20260508 — or version 29.4 — to avoid exposure to double-spending risks tied to certain mining pools. Dashjr’s warning landed hard among BIP-110 supporters who had hoped the fork would gain traction faster.

It hasn’t.

Simple Mining, an Iowa-based operation, made things more complicated by mining block 961634 on the main chain. Simple Mining routes its hashrate through Ocean Mining, a pool that has ties to BIP-110 initiatives. But that relationship clearly doesn’t mean every terahash Ocean touches goes toward the minority fork. Simple Mining’s block on the dominant chain was a visible sign that the BIP-110 camp isn’t as unified as its loudest voices suggest.

Ocean’s involvement is murky at best. The pool has associations with BIP-110, but its hashrate doesn’t uniformly back the minority fork. That’s a real problem for Roughnecks, which needs more computing power — not less — if it wants any shot at catching the main chain.

See also: BIP-110 Replay Attack Puts Bitcoin Holders at Risk Before Any Chain Split

Wildcatters, Miracles, and a Fork Running Out of Road

Roughnecks did celebrate. The group, formally called the Roughnecks’ 110th Mining Division, marked the milestone of mining two BIP-110 blocks, comparing the effort to wildcatting in oil exploration — the scrappy, long-shot bet that occasionally pays off. The analogy is apt. Wildcatting mostly doesn’t work. But you drill anyway.

Matthew Kratter, a prominent BIP-110 supporter, was blunter. He basically said a miracle would be needed for the minority chain to surpass the main chain. That’s not a ringing endorsement from someone in your own camp.

Maitreya Lockwood took a different angle. Lockwood called for fresh starts and framed the split as a chance to reinforce what decentralized money is supposed to stand for. Some in the community see the fork not as a failure but as a proving ground — a place to experiment with what Bitcoin could be if the majority chain won’t go there.

BTCbello’s reaction was more raw. The sentiment, described as mourning for Bitcoin, captures how emotionally charged the BIP-110 debate has become. Years of arguments about the network’s direction have fed into this moment, and watching the minority chain fall further behind block by block is hard for true believers to absorb.

Discussions about changing the minority chain’s mining algorithm have surfaced. It’s probably the most dramatic option on the table — a new proof-of-work approach would essentially sever the fork’s relationship with existing Bitcoin mining hardware, which is a massive step. No official announcement has been made. No details on timing. Unclear whether it’s a serious proposal or venting.

What Roughnecks Actually Need to Survive

The fork’s path forward comes down to two things: more hashrate or a strategic pivot. Without one of those, the minority chain keeps falling behind at the same difficulty level that the main chain handles without breaking a sweat.

See also: Bitcoin Stagnates at $64,000 as Clarity Act Stalls in Congress

Acquiring hashrate is the harder problem. Miners go where the money is, and the main chain — with its established market, liquidity, and miner rewards — is a far more attractive destination for anyone running serious hardware. Getting large pools to defect to a minority fork that’s already 18 blocks down is a tough sell.

The algorithm change conversation is interesting but comes with its own risks. A new proof-of-work would require new hardware or repurposed equipment, essentially starting from scratch in terms of mining infrastructure. That’s a long road, and the BIP-110 camp would need to convince enough participants that the destination is worth it.

Roughnecks mined two blocks. The main chain is at 961651.

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