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

Rating 1570 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen e3; rooks a3/e2; knight d5; pawns c4/e4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c2; rooks c8/f7; knight d7; pawns a6/b7/d6/e5/e7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc4 — queen c2→c4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rc3 — rook a3→c3. Opponent replies Qxc3 (queen c4→c3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Nxc3 — knight d5→c3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Rc3.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/1p1npr1p/p2p2p1/3Np3/2P1P3/R3QP1P/2q1R1P1/7K b - - 0 24

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