Chess Puzzle #514xA — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1268 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king g1; queen e5; knight b1; pawns a4/b4/c5/e2/g4. Black: king g7; queen h3; rook g6; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh6 — king g7→h6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh8+ — queen e5→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Kg5 (king h6→g5).
  3. Best move: Qxh3 — queen h8→h3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short, skewer. The key move is Qh8+.

Position data

FEN: 8/pp4k1/2p3r1/2PpQ3/PP4P1/7q/4P3/1N4K1 b - - 11 35

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