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

Rating 1076 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f3; rooks d1/e1; bishop h4; knight e7; pawns a3/b2/e4/f4/g2/h2. Black: king h8; queen c2; rooks b8/f8; knights d7/h7; pawns a7/b7/d6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd6 — rook d1→d6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc5+ — queen c2→c5, gives check. Opponent replies Bf2 (bishop h4→f2).
  3. Best move: Qxd6 — queen c5→d6, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qc5+.

Position data

FEN: 1r3r1k/pp1nNppn/3p3p/8/4PP1B/P4Q2/1Pq3PP/3RR1K1 w - - 2 26

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