Chess Puzzle #7IJlj — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1722 · Advanced · equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen d6; rook c1; bishop b3; knight f3; pawns a2/b2/f6/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishop f2; pawns a5/c6/d7/e6/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qb4 — queen b6→b4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb4 — queen d6→b4, captures queen. Opponent replies axb4 (pawn a5→b4, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Kxf2 — king f1→f2, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move Qxb4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/3p1p2/1qpQpP1p/p7/8/1B3N2/PP3bPP/2R2K2 b kq - 1 19

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.