Chess Puzzle #2h9At — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1271 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen a7; rooks f1/g4; pawns a3/c4/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen h6; rooks d3/d8; pawns b6/f6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb6 — queen a7→b6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxh3+ — rook d3→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxh3+ — queen h6→h3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg1 (king h1→g1).
  4. Best move: Qxg4+ — queen h3→g4, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice. The key move Rxh3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3r3k/Q6p/1p3p1q/8/2P3R1/P2r3P/6P1/5R1K w - - 1 34

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.