Chess Puzzle #20vN2 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1314 · Intermediate · crushing, discovered attack, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen a5; rooks a1/g3; pawns b5/d4/e3/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/c8; pawns a6/d5/f5/f6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: axb5 — pawn a6→b5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc7 — queen a5→c7, captures queen. Opponent replies Rxc7 (rook c8→c7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxa8+ — rook a1→a8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, discovered attack, endgame, short. The key move Rxa8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1r3k1/2q3pp/p4p2/QP1p1p2/3P1P2/4P1RP/6PK/R7 b - - 0 29

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