Chess Puzzle #6d8CC — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1409 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f5; rooks c1/f1; knight d2; pawns a3/b3/c2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks c8/g6; bishop b7; pawns a7/b6/d5/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: d4 — pawn d5→d4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qf7+ — queen f5→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Qxb7 — queen f7→b7, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qf7+.

Position data

FEN: 2rq2k1/pb4pp/1p4r1/3p1Q2/8/PP6/2PN2PP/2R2RK1 b - - 0 21

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