Chess Puzzle #0pWlP — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1567 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king g1; queen b7; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/g2; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/d2/e2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks c4/h8; bishops f5/f8; knights c5/f6; pawns a7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa7 — queen b7→a7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ra4 — rook c4→a4. Opponent replies Qxa4+ (queen a7→a4, captures rook, gives check).
  3. Best move: Nxa4 — knight c5→a4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short, trapped piece. The key move is Ra4.

Position data

FEN: 3qkb1r/pQ3ppp/4pn2/2np1b2/2r5/5NP1/PP1PPPBP/RNB2RK1 w k - 2 10

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