Chess Puzzle #4d2Qw — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1322 · Intermediate · advantage, discovered attack, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rooks c1/d1; pawns a2/c5/d2/e2/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c6; rooks c8/f8; pawns a7/b6/e7/f6/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc5 — queen c6→c5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qb3+ — queen c3→b3, gives check. Opponent replies Kg7 (king g8→g7).
  3. Best move: Rxc5 — rook c1→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, endgame, short. The key move is Qb3+.

Position data

FEN: 2r2rk1/p3p2p/1pq2pp1/2P5/8/2Q3P1/P2PPP1P/2RR2K1 b - - 0 19

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