Chess Puzzle #6Ilkc — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1464 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h1; queen b3; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/f3; knight b1; pawns a3/b4/e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d4; rooks a8/f8; bishop b7; knights b8/d5; pawns a7/b6/e6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa1 — queen d4→a1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bb2 — bishop c1→b2. Opponent replies Qxb2 (queen a1→b2, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxb2 — queen b3→b2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short, trapped piece. The key move is Bb2.

Position data

FEN: rn3rk1/pb4pp/1p2p3/3nP3/1P1q4/PQ3B2/6PP/RNB2R1K b - - 2 17

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