Chess Puzzle #4sV6j — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1237 · Intermediate · crushing, deflection, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knights c3/g1; pawns a4/b4/c5/d4/e5/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen g5; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knights b8/d7; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/e6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd2 — queen d1→d2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf1+ — rook f8→f1, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf1 (king e1→f1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxd2 — queen g5→d2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, middlegame, short. The key move Rxf1+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rnb2rk1/1p1n2pp/p1p1p3/2PpP1q1/PP1P4/2N3P1/7P/R2QKBNR w KQ - 0 14

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