Chess Puzzle #1OnyZ — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1227 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks e1/f1; pawns b3/c4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen f5; rooks a2/f8; pawns a7/c6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re7 — rook e1→e7. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc5+ — queen f5→c5, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qxe7 — queen c5→e7, captures rook.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/p5pp/2p5/5q2/2P5/1P3PQ1/r5PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 24

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