Chess Puzzle #11a85 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1266 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king a2; queen b6; knight a4; pawns b3/c2/e5/h6. Black: king g8; queen f8; rook g5; pawns a3/a5/d5/e6/h5/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf7 — queen f8→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen b6→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Qf8 (queen f7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxg5+ — queen d8→g5, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move Qxg5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5qk1/7p/1Q2p2P/p2pP1rp/N7/pP6/K1P5/8 b - - 1 39

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