Chess Puzzle #7LebL — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · crushing, defensive move, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f7; rook f2; pawns a2/b3/c4/e5/g5/h2. Black: king d8; queen h8; rooks a8/g4; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/e6/g6. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxg5 — rook g4→g5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb7 — queen f7→b7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Rc8 (rook a8→c8).
  3. Best move: Rf7 — rook f2→f7.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, short. The key move Qxb7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r2k3q/pp3Q2/2p1p1p1/3pP1P1/2P3r1/1P6/P4R1P/7K b - - 2 29

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