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

Rating 1515 · Intermediate · crushing, interference, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen f2; rook h1; bishop e3; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/e5/f4/g4. Black: king e7; queen b7; rooks b8/h8; bishop d7; pawns a6/c4/d5/e6/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb2 — queen b7→b2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc5+ — bishop e3→c5, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e7→d8).
  3. Best move: Rxh8+ — rook h1→h8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, interference, master, middlegame, short. The key move Rxh8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1r5r/1q1bkp2/p3p1p1/3pP3/2p2PP1/2P1BN2/PP3QK1/7R b - - 0 27

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