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

Rating 1065 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e4; rook a1; bishop c1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/f2/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop e7; pawns a6/c5/c7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe5 — queen e4→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qd1+ — queen d8→d1, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king g1→g2).
  3. Best move: Qxc1 — queen d1→c1, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd1+.

Position data

FEN: r2q1rk1/2p1bppp/p7/2p1p3/4Q1P1/2P2N1P/PP3P2/RNB3K1 w - - 0 16

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