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

Rating 847 · Beginner · crushing, defensive move, endgame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen f6; rook g1; bishop d2; pawn f3. Black: king g8; queen c4; rook f8; pawns a6/d5/e5/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd4+ — queen c4→d4, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Be3 — bishop d2→e3. Opponent replies Qxe3+ (queen d4→e3, captures bishop, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kxe3 — king f2→e3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, short. The key move is Be3.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/5p1p/p4Qp1/3pp3/2q5/5P2/3B1K2/6R1 b - - 3 28

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.