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

Rating 1335 · Intermediate · equality, fork, hanging piece, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/c4; knights c3/d4; pawns a4/b2/c2/e4/f5/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; bishops d7/f8; knights b8/h5; pawns a6/b7/c6/d6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxh5 — queen e2→h5, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxd4+ — queen f6→d4, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Qxc4 — queen d4→c4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, hanging piece, opening, short. The key move Qxd4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rn2kb1r/1p1b1pp1/p1pp1q1p/5P1n/P1BNP3/2N5/1PP1Q1PP/R1B2RK1 w kq - 1 15

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