Chess Puzzle #1AkAD — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1547 · Intermediate · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a1/f1; bishops d3/d6; pawns a2/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king d7; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c3/c8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/e6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxa1 — bishop c3→a1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen h5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Qe7 (queen d8→e7).
  3. Best move: Bxe7 — bishop d6→e7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Qf7+.

Position data

FEN: r1bq3r/pp1k2pp/2nBp3/4P2Q/5P2/2bB4/P5PP/R4RK1 b - - 0 15

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