Chess Puzzle #2J9dE — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1373 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen b3; rook d1; bishops d3/e3; pawns a2/c2/e5/f3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c5; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knight c4; pawns a6/b5/f6/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe3 — queen c5→e3, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxc4+ — bishop d3→c4, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies bxc4 (pawn b5→c4, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxe3 — queen b3→e3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, short. The key move Bxc4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/6p1/p4p2/1pq1P3/2n5/1Q1BBP2/P1P3PP/3R3K b - - 3 28

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