Chess Puzzle #5GMe8 — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1029 · Beginner · advantage, middlegame, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d2; rooks d1/h1; bishops b3/e3; pawns a3/b2/c4/f3/f4/h3. Black: king h8; queen a5; rook c8; bishop g7; knights b4/b6; pawns a7/c5/e7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: axb4 — pawn a3→b4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa1+ — queen a5→a1, gives check. Opponent replies Kc2 (king c1→c2).
  3. Best move: Qxb2+ — queen a1→b2, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, queenside attack, short. The key move Qxb2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r4k/p3p1bp/1n4p1/q1p5/1nP2P2/PB2BP1P/1P1Q4/2KR3R w - - 1 24

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.