Chess Puzzle #36Qr1 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1462 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, master, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rook a1; bishop b2; pawns b4/c5/d5/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen e7; rook f8; knight f4; pawns e4/f5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd4 — queen c4→d4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight f4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh1 (king g1→h1).
  3. Best move: Nxd4 — knight e2→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, master, short. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: 5r1k/4q1pp/8/2PP1p2/1PQ1pn2/8/1B4PP/R5K1 w - - 0 28

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