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

Rating 1183 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen e4; rooks d1/f1; bishop d3; knight e2; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king g7; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/c7/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nc5 — knight d7→c5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe5+ — queen e4→e5, gives check. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  3. Best move: Qxc5 — queen e5→c5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qe5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1r2/pppn1pkp/4p1p1/8/4Q3/3B4/PPP1N1PP/3R1R1K b - - 1 16

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