Chess Puzzle #3Sv75 — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1075 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen e2; rooks a1/h1; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e5; rook a8; bishops c5/c8; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg5 — queen e5→g5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe8+ — queen e2→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Bf8 (bishop c5→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxc8 — queen e8→c8, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qe8+.

Position data

FEN: rnb3k1/ppp2ppp/8/2b1q3/8/2NP4/PPP1QPPP/R3K2R b KQ - 1 11

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