Chess Puzzle #37PUJ — Beginner, White to move, opening

Rating 1059 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen e2; rooks a1/h1; bishops e3/e4; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen h5; rooks a8/h8; bishops b4/g4; knight f6; pawns a7/b6/c7/d6/e5/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe4 — knight f6→e4, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qb5+ — queen e2→b5, gives check. Opponent replies Bd7 (bishop g4→d7).
  3. Best move: Qxb4 — queen b5→b4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qb5+.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/p1p2ppp/1p1p1n2/3Pp2q/1b2B1b1/2N1BN2/PPP1QPPP/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 15

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