Chess Puzzle #53C4X — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1434 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, rook endgame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king e3; rook e1; pawns a5/b4/c3/d4/f5/h3. Black: king f7; rook h8; pawns a7/b7/c6/e4/f6/g7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxe4 — king e3→e4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Re8+ — rook h8→e8, gives check. Opponent replies Kd3 (king e4→d3).
  3. Best move: Rxe1 — rook e8→e1, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, rook endgame, short, skewer. The key move is Re8+.

Position data

FEN: 7r/pp3kp1/2p2p2/P4P2/1P1Pp3/2P1K2P/8/4R3 w - - 6 29

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.