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

Rating 2109 · Expert · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen g5; rooks d1/f1; pawns a2/b2/c3/e3/g4. Black: king g7; queen c7; rooks a8/h2; bishop c8; pawns a6/b7/c4/d4/e4/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qb6 — queen c7→b6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe5+ — queen g5→e5, gives check. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  3. Best move: Qxh2 — queen e5→h2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qe5+.

Position data

FEN: r1b5/1pq2pk1/p5p1/6Q1/2ppp1P1/2P1P3/PP5r/2KR1R2 b - - 1 29

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