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

Rating 2279 · Expert · endgame, equality, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen f3; bishop d6; pawns c2/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b2; knight d5; pawns a7/c5/c6/f6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxc3 — knight d5→c3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3 — queen f3→e3. Opponent replies Qa1+ (queen b2→a1, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kd2 — king e1→d2.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, short. The key move is Qe3.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/p5pp/2pB1p2/2pn4/8/2P2Q2/1qP2PPP/4K3 b - - 0 25

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.