Chess Puzzle #0XIoY — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1688 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king h2; queen e8; rook f1; knight d4; pawns c4/d3/f4/g3/h4. Black: king g7; queen a4; bishops c3/g4; pawns a5/c6/d6/f7/g6/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc6 — queen e8→c6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa2+ — queen a4→a2, gives check. Opponent replies Qg2 (queen c6→g2).
  3. Best move: Qxg2+ — queen a2→g2, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Kxg2 (king h2→g2, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Bxd4 — bishop c3→d4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move Qxg2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 4Q3/5pk1/2pp2p1/p6p/q1PN1PbP/2bP2P1/7K/5R2 w - - 2 37

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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