Chess Puzzle #5R4aB — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

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

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; bishop a8; pawns c3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen b2; bishop g7; pawns c5/e5/f7/g6/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc5 — queen e3→c5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa1+ — queen b2→a1, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxa8 — queen a1→a8, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qa1+.

Position data

FEN: B5k1/5pb1/6pp/2p1p3/8/2P1Q2P/1q3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 26

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