Chess Puzzle #0hlD9 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1365 · Intermediate · crushing, deflection, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d7; rook f3; pawns a2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e4; rook a8; pawns a7/d4/e5/g5/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf8 — rook a8→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe6+ — queen d7→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
  3. Best move: Rxf8 — rook f3→f8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, short. The key move is Qe6+.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/p2Q2p1/8/4p1p1/3pq3/5R1P/P5P1/7K b - - 1 36

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