Chess Puzzle #5NpHT — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1226 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, short.

Position

White: king d2; queen d4; rooks d1/h1; pawns b3/c2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a3; rooks a8/h8; pawns c4/c6/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: cxb3 — pawn c4→b3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ra1 — rook d1→a1. Opponent replies O-O (king e8→g8).
  3. Best move: Rxa3 — rook a1→a3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short. The key move is Ra1.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/5ppp/2p1p3/3pP3/2pQ4/qP6/2PK1PPP/3R3R b kq - 4 23

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.