Chess Puzzle #1cLii — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1143 · Beginner · crushing, endgame, rook endgame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king d1; rook c2; bishop e5; pawns a2/b2/f2/f3/h2. Black: king e6; rook e8; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxe5 — king e6→e5, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re2+ — rook c2→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kf4 (king e5→f4).
  3. Best move: Rxe8 — rook e2→e8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, rook endgame, short, skewer. The key move is Re2+.

Position data

FEN: 4r3/pp3ppp/4k3/4B3/8/5P2/PPR2P1P/3K4 b - - 0 22

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