Chess Puzzle #20IoM — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1403 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, master, short, skewer.

Position

White: king g2; queen e4; rook c1; knight c5; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3/f2/g3. Black: king e7; queen h5; rook h8; bishop a8; pawns a7/b5/c6/e6/f7/g4. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kf1 — king g2→f1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh1+ — queen h5→h1, gives check. Opponent replies Ke2 (king f1→e2).
  3. Best move: Qxc1 — queen h1→c1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, master, short, skewer. The key move is Qh1+.

Position data

FEN: b6r/p3kp2/2p1p3/1pN4q/3PQ1p1/4P1P1/PP3PK1/2R5 w - - 2 27

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.