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

Rating 1442 · Intermediate · advantage, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishop e3; knight b1; pawns a3/b2/c3/f2/f3/h5. Black: king e8; queen e5; rooks c8/h8; bishop c5; knight g6; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf4 — knight g6→f4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa4+ — queen d1→a4, gives check. Opponent replies Rc6 (rook c8→c6).
  3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen a4→f4, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen e5→f4, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Bxf4 — bishop e3→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move is Qa4+.

Position data

FEN: 2r1k2r/pp3ppp/4p1n1/2bpq2P/8/P1P1BP2/1P3P2/RN1QK2R b KQk - 2 15

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.