Chess Puzzle #1lG70 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1338 · Intermediate · crushing, deflection, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f1; rook e6; pawns a2/c4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c5; rook c8; pawns a6/d6/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc4 — queen c5→c4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook e6→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe8 (rook c8→e8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxc4+ — queen f1→c4, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, short. The key move Qxc4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/7p/p2pR1p1/2q5/2P5/7P/P5P1/5Q1K b - - 0 35

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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