Chess Puzzle #61MUx — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1512 · Intermediate · endgame, equality, hanging piece, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen h8; rooks a1/f1; knight d2; pawns a2/c3/f2/h2. Black: king e7; queen e2; bishop b6; knight b2; pawns a7/c7/d6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxb2 — king c1→b2, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxd2+ — queen e2→d2, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Kb3 (king b2→b3).
  3. Best move: Qd5+ — queen d2→d5, gives check.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, hanging piece, short. The key move Qxd2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 7Q/p1p1kppp/1b1p4/8/8/2P5/Pn1NqP1P/R1K2R2 w - - 0 20

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