Chess Puzzle #6HQeh — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king f2; rook c1; bishops e2/e3; knight d4; pawns e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen c3; bishop c5; knight c6; pawns d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qa5 — queen c3→a5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxc5 — rook c1→c5, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxc5 (queen a5→c5, captures rook).
3. Best move: Nxe6+ — knight d4→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies fxe6 (pawn f7→e6, captures knight).
4. Best move: Bxc5+ — bishop e3→c5, captures queen, gives check.

Why this works

White executes a forced three-move sequence that sacrifices the rook to decoy Black's queen onto c5, where it becomes a target for a discovered check. After 1.Rxc5 Qxc5 (forced, as the queen is attacked), 2.Ne6+ is a knight check that also attacks the queen on c5. Black's only legal response is 2...fxe6, capturing the knight to get out of check. However, this opens the f-file and exposes the king: 3.Bxc5+ is check again (the bishop on c5 gives check along the long diagonal because the e-pawn on e6 no longer shields the king), and White has won the queen for a rook and knight—a decisive material advantage. The entire sequence hinges on the attraction of the queen to c5 and the geometry of checks along the long diagonal and f-file.

What to practice

Recognize forcing sequences where you sacrifice a piece to lure an enemy piece onto a square where it becomes vulnerable to a follow-up check or attack. The pattern here combines attraction (the rook sacrifice draws the queen) with discovered check (moving the knight to give check while opening lines). In your own games, when your opponent's queen is loose or on the wrong square, calculate whether a forcing sacrifice can reposition it into a worse one where you recover material with tempo.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, discovered attack, long, middlegame. The key move Nxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/5ppp/2n1p3/2bpP3/3N1P2/2q1B3/4BKPP/2R5 b - - 1 25

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