Chess Puzzle #07CmO — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1139 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishops f4/g2; knight b5; pawns a2/b3/c4/f3/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks c6/f8; bishop e7; knights e5/f6; pawns a7/b7/d6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxa7 — knight b5→a7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qb6+ — queen d8→b6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qxa7 — queen b6→a7, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qb6+.

Position data

FEN: 3q1rk1/pp2bppp/2rp1n2/1N2n3/2P2B2/1P3PP1/P5BP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 1 16

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