Chess Puzzle #4HTZX — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1041 · Beginner · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen g3; bishop e2; knight f3; pawns b5/c4/d3/d5/g2. Black: king h7; queen f6; bishops e3/g4; pawns b6/c5/d4/d6/h5. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh4 — queen g3→h4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh4+ — queen f6→h4, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Nxh4 (knight f3→h4, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxe2 — bishop g4→e2, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move Qxh4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/7k/1p1p1q2/1PpP3p/2Pp2b1/3PbNQ1/4B1P1/7K w - - 0 42

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