Chess Puzzle #2Ns7O — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2034 · Expert · advantage, endgame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h2; queen c2; rook c4; pawns b2/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e5; rook c8; pawns c5/e6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe3 — queen e5→e3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Re4 — rook c4→e4. Opponent replies Qxe4 (queen e3→e4, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxe4 — queen c2→e4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short, trapped piece. The key move is Re4.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/5pp1/4p2p/2p1q3/2R2P2/7P/1PQ3PK/8 b - - 0 35

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