Chess Puzzle #3h8AJ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1251 · Intermediate · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f1; rooks b1/d6; bishops d3/h6; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/c2/e4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c5; rooks a8/e8; bishop e6; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd6 — queen c5→d6, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf6 — queen f1→f6. Opponent replies Qf8 (queen d6→f8).
  3. Best move: Bxf8 — bishop h6→f8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Qf6.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/pp3p1p/2pRb1pB/2q1n3/4P3/P1NB4/1PP3PP/1R3Q1K b - - 6 18

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