Chess Puzzle #5eXm0 — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1407 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen c2; rooks a1/h1; bishops g3/g6; knights d2/f3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops e7/g4; knights c6/h5; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxg6 — pawn f7→g6, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen c2→g6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd7 (king e8→d7).
  3. Best move: Qxg4 — queen g6→g4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Qxg6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qk2r/pp2bp2/2n1p1B1/3p3n/3P2b1/2P2NB1/PPQN1PPP/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 12

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