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

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rook f7; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/d4/e6/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen e7; rook a8; knight f8; pawns a4/c4/c6/d5/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxe6 — queen e7→e6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxf8+ — rook f7→f8, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king g8→f8, captures rook).
3. Best move: Qxe6 — queen e3→e6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, intermezzo, short. The key move Rxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4nk1/4qRpp/2p1P3/3p4/p1pP4/P1N1Q1P1/1P5P/6K1 b - - 2 26

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