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

Rating 957 · Beginner · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e7; rook d1; pawns a2/b2/d4/e5/f2/g2/g3. Black: king h8; queen c6; rook a7; knight d7; pawns a6/b6/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king h8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e7→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Nf8 (knight d7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxc6 — queen e8→c6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move is Qe8+.

Position data

FEN: 7k/r2nQppp/ppq1p3/3pP3/3P4/6P1/PP3PP1/3R2K1 b - - 1 28

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