Chess Puzzle #42RYC — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1512 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c3/f7; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knights c6/e4; pawns a7/b7/d7/e5/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxf7 — king e8→f7, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd5+ — queen d1→d5, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f7→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxe4 — queen d5→e4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd5+.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/pp1p1Bpp/1qn5/4p3/4n3/2B2N2/PPP2PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 10

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.