Chess Puzzle #4kp1V — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1514 · Intermediate · endgame, equality, short.

Position

White: king f3; queen h3; rook f4; knight c3; pawns a4/b5/d5/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen e1; rook b8; knight e3; pawns a5/b6/d6/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3 — queen e1→c3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe6+ — queen h3→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxe3 — queen e6→e3, captures knight.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, short. The key move is Qe6+.

Position data

FEN: 1r4k1/7p/1p1p2p1/pP1P4/P4R2/2N1nKPQ/7P/4q3 b - - 4 35

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.