Chess Puzzle #0v3Pb — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1205 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/e2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; bishops b4/c8; pawns a7/b7/c7/d5/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe5 — queen f6→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa4+ — queen d1→a4, gives check. Opponent replies c6 (pawn c7→c6).
  3. Best move: Qxb4 — queen a4→b4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qa4+.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/ppp2pp1/5q1p/3pP3/1b6/2N5/PP2PPPP/R2QKB1R b KQkq - 0 10

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