Chess Puzzle #3zVyb — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1833 · Advanced · advantage, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king c1; queen b7; rook g1; bishop e7; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/h2. Black: king h8; rooks a8/h7; bishops c5/h1; knight d7; pawns a7/c7/d4/g7/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re8 — rook a8→e8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc7 — queen b7→c7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Bxe7 (bishop c5→e7, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxd7 — queen c7→d7, captures knight. Opponent replies Bc6 (bishop h1→c6).
  4. Best move: Qxc6 — queen d7→c6, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move Qxc7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r6k/pQpnB1pr/8/2b4p/3p4/8/PPP2P1P/2K3Rb b - - 0 20

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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