Chess Puzzle #0wahK — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1251 · Intermediate · crushing, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/f4; knight c7; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king f7; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knights c6/g8; pawns a7/b7/c4/d5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb2 — queen b6→b2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen d1→h5, gives check. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
  3. Best move: Qxd5+ — queen h5→d5, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, opening, short. The key move Qxd5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2bnr/ppN2kpp/1qn5/3p4/2pP1B2/4P3/PPP2PPP/R2QKB1R b KQ - 1 9

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