Chess Puzzle #6Bwhv — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1721 · Advanced · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks b1/f1; bishops c2/e3; pawns a2/c3/e4/f2/f3/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks b8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knight g8; pawns a4/b5/c6/d7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf6 — knight g8→f6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe5+ — queen d4→e5, gives check. Opponent replies Be7 (bishop f8→e7).
  3. Best move: Qxb8 — queen e5→b8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qe5+.

Position data

FEN: 1rbqkbnr/3p1ppp/2p5/1p6/p2QP3/2P1BP2/P1B2P1P/1R3RK1 b k - 0 18

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