Chess Puzzle #7R1Fq — Intermediate, Black to move, endgame

Rating 1577 · Intermediate · advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, master, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen g3; rook e1. Black: king h7; queen c3; pawns d3/f7/g7/h5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe3 — queen g3→e3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc2+ — queen c3→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh3 (king h2→h3).
  3. Best move: d2 — pawn d3→d2.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, master, short. The key move is Qc2+.

Position data

FEN: 8/5ppk/8/7p/8/2qp2Q1/7K/4R3 w - - 0 44

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.