Chess Puzzle #1qk4J — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1365 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; rook e3; knight e2; pawns a4/b5/f2/g2/h3. Black: king h7; queen a2; pawns a5/b6/g5/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re4 — rook e3→e4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qb1+ — queen a2→b1, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxe4 — queen b1→e4, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qb1+.

Position data

FEN: 8/7k/1p5p/pP4p1/P7/4R2P/q3NPP1/6K1 w - - 1 37

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