Chess Puzzle #7W2yR — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2133 · Expert · crushing, defensive move, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen d3; bishop c4; pawns a2/b2/c3/e4/f3/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen f4; bishop b7; pawns a7/b6/c5/e5/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc1 — queen f4→c1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d3→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
  3. Best move: h4 — pawn h3→h4.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, short. The key move is Qd8+.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pb3pp1/1p5p/2p1p3/2B1Pq2/2PQ1PPP/PP5K/8 b - - 0 26

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.