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

Rating 1547 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d3; rooks b1/d1; bishop f3; pawns a3/c4/d6/e4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks d7/e5; bishop c3; pawns a7/b4/b7/f7/g6/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: a5 — pawn a7→a5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc3 — queen d3→c3, captures bishop. Opponent replies bxc3 (pawn b4→c3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxb6 — rook b1→b6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc3 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pp1r1p2/1q1P2p1/4r2p/1pP1P3/P1bQ1B2/6PP/1R1R3K b - - 0 26

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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