Chess Puzzle #4Se7r — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1378 · Intermediate · crushing, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rooks d1/f1; bishop b3; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/f2/g2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rooks a8/g4; bishop f8; pawns b5/b7/c6/e5/f7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bc5 — bishop f8→c5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd7+ — queen d3→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxg4 — queen d7→g4, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd7+.

Position data

FEN: r3kb2/1p3p2/2p2q1p/1p2p3/4P1r1/1B1Q4/PPP2PP1/3R1RK1 b q - 1 19

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