Chess Puzzle #21MYC — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1400 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen e4; rooks a7/e7; pawns a2/b2/d3/g3/h2. Black: king b6; queen c2; rook b8; bishop c8; pawns c5/c6/d4/g5. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe2 — queen e4→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe2+ — queen c2→e2, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Rxe2 (rook e7→e2, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Kxa7 — king b6→a7, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short. The key move Qxe2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1rb5/R3R3/1kp5/2p3p1/3pQ3/3P2P1/PPq3KP/8 w - - 0 31

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