Chess Puzzle #7QagS — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1425 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a5; rook d4; bishop g2; pawns a2/b3/c5/e4/g3/h3. Black: king e8; queen e7; rook d8; bishop c8; pawns a7/c6/d5/g5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: exd5 — pawn e4→d5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3+ — queen e7→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Qxd4 — queen e3→d4, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Qe3+.

Position data

FEN: 2brk3/p3q2p/2p3p1/Q1Pp2p1/3RP3/1P4PP/P5B1/6K1 w - - 1 29

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