Chess Puzzle #3PQE1 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2259 · Expert · advantage, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen f3; rooks d7/e1; knight f4; pawns a3/b2/c2/f2/g2. Black: king g7; queen f6; rooks c8/f8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ne5 — knight c6→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg3 — queen f3→g3. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen f6→f4, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen g3→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Qg3.

Position data

FEN: 2r2r2/pppR1pkp/2n2qp1/8/5N2/P4Q2/1PP2PP1/1K2R3 b - - 2 21

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