Chess Puzzle #3nM3x — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1527 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king g2; queen g7; bishop c4; pawns a3/b2/c5/d6/f4/g5/h3. Black: king c6; queen b1; bishop a4; pawns a7/b7/e4/g6/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: b4 — pawn b2→b4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc2+ — queen b1→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Kg3 (king g2→g3).
  3. Best move: Qxc4 — queen c2→c4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qc7+ (queen g7→c7, gives check).
  4. Best move: Kd5 — king c6→d5.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Qc2+.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp4Qp/2kP2p1/2P3P1/b1B1pP2/P6P/1P4K1/1q6 w - - 5 46

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