Chess Puzzle #3Ew42 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2022 · Expert · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen f5; rook d5; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king b8; queen c4; rook h8; bishop h6; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/c7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nc6 — knight e5→c6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf6 — queen f5→f6. Opponent replies Re8 (rook h8→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxh6 — queen f6→h6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qf6.

Position data

FEN: 1k5r/ppp4p/7b/3RnQ2/2q5/P1N5/1PP3PP/1K6 b - - 3 28

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