Chess Puzzle #3RhzO — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1378 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen e4; rook a4; pawns d4/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen d6; rook d8; pawns e6/f7/g6/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe3 — queen e4→e3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc6+ — queen d6→c6, gives check. Opponent replies d5 (pawn d4→d5).
  3. Best move: Qxa4 — queen c6→a4, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qc6+.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/5p2/3qp1pp/8/R2PQ3/6PP/5PK1/8 w - - 2 37

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