Chess Puzzle #2xBez — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1617 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, endgame, queen endgame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen f7; pawns a2/b2/c3/e7/f3/g2/h3. Black: king h6; queen e1; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/g5/g7/h4. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe5+ — queen e1→e5, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: f4 — pawn f3→f4. Opponent replies Qxf4+ (queen e5→f4, captures pawn, gives check).
  3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen f7→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, queen endgame, short. The key move is f4.

Position data

FEN: 8/1p2PQp1/p1p4k/3p2p1/7p/2P2P1P/PP4PK/4q3 b - - 2 42

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