Chess Puzzle #3EQ8L — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1122 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen g6; rooks d1/h1; knight e2; pawns a2/b2/c2/d4/e3/f3/h2/h5. Black: king f8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishop a5; knight f4; pawns a7/b7/c6/c7/g7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf4 — knight e2→f4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe3+ — queen e7→e3, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kb1 (king c1→b1).
  3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen e3→f4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4k1r/ppp1q1p1/2p3Q1/b6P/3P1n2/4PP2/PPP1N2P/2KR3R w - - 0 17

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