Chess Puzzle #2F71A — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1056 · Beginner · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a3; rook b8; pawns a2/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g7; queen d4; rook c4; pawns d5/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rc2 — rook c4→c2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf8+ — queen a3→f8, gives check. Opponent replies Kf6 (king g7→f6).
  3. Best move: Qh8+ — queen f8→h8, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move is Qf8+.

Position data

FEN: 1R6/5pkp/4p1p1/3p4/2rq4/Q5PP/P4P2/6K1 b - - 1 35

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