Chess Puzzle #02Tnf — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1939 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, endgame, long.

Position

White: king h1; queen a4; rooks a6/e1; pawns d5/e4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen g5; rook b8; bishop d4; pawns c5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: d6 — pawn d5→d6. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rb2 — rook b8→b2. Opponent replies Ra8+ (rook a6→a8, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kg7 — king g8→g7. Opponent replies Qxd4+ (queen a4→d4, captures bishop, gives check).
  4. Best move: cxd4 — pawn c5→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, long. The key move is Rb2.

Position data

FEN: 1r4k1/5p1p/R5p1/2pP2q1/Q2bP3/8/6PP/4R2K w - - 0 35

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.