Chess Puzzle #3moXk — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1155 · Beginner · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen e3; rooks a1/h1; bishops b5/c1; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops f5/f8; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/d4/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: cxd4 — pawn c3→d4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Bd2 (bishop c1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxb5 — queen a5→b5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: r2qkb1r/pp1n1ppp/4p3/1B2Nb2/3p4/2P1Q3/PP3PPP/R1B1K2R w KQkq - 0 13

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