Chess Puzzle #1lWoW — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1200 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/e4; knight g1; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knights b8/g8; pawns a7/b7/c6/e7/f5/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxf5 — bishop e4→f5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Bd2 (bishop c1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxf5 — queen a5→f5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, opening, short. The key move is Qa5+.

Position data

FEN: rn1qkbnr/pp2p1pp/2p5/5p2/3PB3/8/PPP2PPP/R1BQK1NR w KQkq - 0 7

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