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

Rating 1119 · Beginner · advantage, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; pawns a2/c3/e3/e5/f2/g3/h2. Black: king d7; queen e7; bishop a6; pawns a7/b6/c6/e6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: c5 — pawn c6→c5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa4+ — queen f4→a4, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king d7→d8).
  3. Best move: Qxa6 — queen a4→a6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qa4+.

Position data

FEN: 8/p2kq3/bpp1p3/4P3/5Q2/2P1P1P1/P4P1P/6K1 b - - 6 31

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