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

Rating 1057 · Beginner · advantage, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; knight c3; pawns a4/b3/c2/d3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e8; knight g6; pawns a5/c6/d6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd6 — queen g3→d6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe1+ — queen e8→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxc3 — queen e1→c3, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qe1+.

Position data

FEN: 4q1k1/5pp1/2pp2np/p7/P7/1PNP2QP/2P3P1/6K1 w - - 0 26

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