Chess Puzzle #0vEZE — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1369 · Intermediate · advanced pawn, crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c2; rooks a7/f1; knight c4; pawns b3/c3/g2/g3/h3. Black: king g7; queen c6; rook d5; bishop b7; knight f6; pawns e3/e6/f7/g4/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h4 — pawn h3→h4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rd2 — rook d5→d2. Opponent replies Qxd2 (queen c2→d2, captures rook).
  3. Best move: exd2 — pawn e3→d2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Rd2.

Position data

FEN: 8/Rb3pk1/2q1pn1p/3r4/2N3p1/1PP1p1PP/2Q3P1/5R1K w - - 0 27

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