Chess Puzzle #3TaeW — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1399 · Intermediate · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks e1/f1; knight f4; pawns a2/b2/c2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e6; rooks e7/f8; knight e5; pawns a6/b5/c6/f6/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg4 — queen e6→g4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg4 — queen g3→g4, captures queen. Opponent replies Nxg4 (knight e5→g4, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxe7 — rook e1→e7, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Qxg4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/4r1p1/p1p1qp1p/1p2n3/5N2/6Q1/PPP3PP/4RRK1 b - - 1 26

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