Chess Puzzle #2XL6y — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1211 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h6; rook d1; bishop d3; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d5/e4/f2/h2. Black: king e8; queen e7; rooks a8/g2; bishop c5; pawns a6/b7/c7/d6/f6/f7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: O-O-O — king e8→c8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh3+ — queen h6→h3, gives check. Opponent replies f5 (pawn f6→f5).
  3. Best move: Qxg2 — queen h3→g2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qh3+.

Position data

FEN: r3k3/1pp1qp2/p2p1p1Q/2bP4/4P3/2NB4/PPP2PrP/2KR4 b q - 0 16

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