Chess Puzzle #1AmCC — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2235 · Expert · advantage, defensive move, middlegame, quiet move, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h6; rooks d1/e1; pawns a2/b2/f2/f5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b5; rooks a8/f8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/f6/f7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxf5 — queen b5→f5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re3 — rook e1→e3. Opponent replies Ne5 (knight c6→e5).
  3. Best move: Rh3 — rook e3→h3.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, middlegame, quiet move, short. The key move is Re3.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/pp3p2/2n2p1Q/1q3P2/8/8/PP3PPP/3RR1K1 b - - 0 19

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