Chess Puzzle #5VQdA — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop f3; knight c4; pawns a2/b2/c3/d3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen c7; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/h4; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/e5/f5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Be6 — bishop c8→e6. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bxc6+ — bishop f3→c6, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies bxc6 (pawn b7→c6, captures bishop).
3. Best move: Qh5+ — queen d1→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Bf7 (bishop e6→f7).
4. Best move: Qxh4 — queen h5→h4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

clearance, equality, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Bxc6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/ppq3pp/2n5/4pp2/2N4b/2PP1B2/PP3PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 1 13

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.