Chess Puzzle #70McJ — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1739 · Advanced · crushing, master, middlegame, quiet move, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen b8; rook g2; bishop e5; pawns a5/c3/d4/e2/g5. Black: king g8; queen e6; rook f7; bishop b5; knight e8; pawns a6/c6/d5/e3/f5. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf8 — rook f7→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rh2 — rook g2→h2. Opponent replies Qg6 (queen e6→g6).
  3. Best move: Rh8+ — rook h2→h8, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, master, middlegame, quiet move, short. The key move is Rh2.

Position data

FEN: 1Q2n1k1/5r2/p1p1q3/Pb1pBpP1/3P4/2P1p3/4P1R1/6K1 b - - 16 53

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