Chess Puzzle #1QC52 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1590 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d5; rooks a1/f1; pawns a2/e3/f6/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b2; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; pawns a7/b7/c5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be6 — bishop c8→e6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg5 — queen d5→g5. Opponent replies Qxf6 (queen b2→f6, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Rxf6 — rook f1→f6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Qg5.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/pp3ppp/5P2/2pQ4/8/4P3/Pq4PP/R4RK1 b - - 0 17

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