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

Rating 1522 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen d4; rooks b3/f1; knight d5; pawns a4/c4/g3/h3. Black: king h8; queen g6; rooks c8/e8; bishop g2; pawns a6/b6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxg2 — king h2→g2, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc2+ — queen g6→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Rf2 (rook f1→f2).
  3. Best move: Qxb3 — queen c2→b3, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qc2+.

Position data

FEN: 2r1r2k/6pp/pp4q1/3N4/P1PQ4/1R4PP/6bK/5R2 w - - 0 32

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