Chess Puzzle #54SrJ — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1475 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops f1/f4; knight c3; pawns a2/a6/d4/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/g7; knight g8; pawns a7/b5/c4/d7/e4/f5/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxb5 — knight c3→b5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Qd2 (queen d1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxb5 — queen a5→b5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qa5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk1nr/p2p2b1/P6p/1p3p2/2pPpB2/2N1P3/P4PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 0 14

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