Chess Puzzle #12pxm — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1333 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, short.

Position

White: king a2; queen f7; rook e7; knight a4; pawns a3/b2/c2. Black: king b8; queen d4; rook d8; knight c7; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf6 — queen d4→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxc7 — rook e7→c7, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxf7 (queen f6→f7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxf7 — rook c7→f7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short. The key move Rxc7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r4/ppn1RQp1/2p5/3p4/N2q4/P7/KPP5/8 b - - 1 28

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