Chess Puzzle #3Zj18 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1276 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops b5/g7; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/g8; bishop d7; knights c6/e7; pawns a7/b7/d6/f7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bh6 — bishop g7→h6. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Qd2 (queen d1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxb5 — queen a5→b5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, opening, short. The key move is Qa5+.

Position data

FEN: r2qk1r1/pp1bnpBp/2np4/1B6/4P3/5N2/PPP2PPP/R2QK2R w KQq - 1 11

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