Chess Puzzle #6yrTj — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1455 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d7; rooks a1/f1; knight b1; pawns a3/b4/c2/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d4; rooks a8/f8; pawns a7/c7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ra2 — rook a1→a2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc4 — queen d4→c4. Opponent replies Nd2 (knight b1→d2).
  3. Best move: Qxa2 — queen c4→a2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qc4.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/p1pQ1pp1/4p2p/3pP3/1P1q1P2/P7/2P3PP/RN3R1K w - - 1 18

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