Chess Puzzle #19iwQ — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1453 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f1; rook d1; bishop d4; pawns a2/c2/e5/f4/g2/h3. Black: king b8; queen e7; bishop b7; knight c6; pawns a5/b6/c7/f5/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bc3 — bishop d4→c3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc5+ — queen e7→c5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxc3 — queen c5→c3, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qc5+.

Position data

FEN: 1k6/1bp1q1p1/1pn4p/p3Pp2/3B1P2/7P/P1P3P1/3R1QK1 w - - 1 35

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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