Chess Puzzle #2IZuC — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1608 · Advanced · advantage, exposed king, long, middlegame, skewer.

Position

White: king g1; queen e6; rooks a1/e1; bishop c1; pawns a4/b2/c4/f2/f3. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks f7/h8; bishop b8; knight b4; pawns a6/b6/c5/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re7 — rook f7→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg6+ — queen e6→g6, gives check. Opponent replies Kd7 (king e8→d7).
  3. Best move: Rd1+ — rook e1→d1, gives check. Opponent replies Kc8 (king d7→c8).
  4. Best move: Rxd8+ — rook d1→d8, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, exposed king, long, middlegame, skewer. The key move Rxd8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1b1qk2r/5r2/pp2Q2p/2p5/PnP5/5P2/1P3P2/R1B1R1K1 b k - 0 25

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.