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

Rating 1512 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, master, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e5; rook a1; bishop g3; pawns a3/b4/c3/c5/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen a8; rook e2; pawns a4/e3/g7/h6. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: c6 — pawn c5→c6. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc6 — queen a8→c6, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qe8+ (queen e5→e8, gives check).
  3. Best move: Qxe8 — queen c6→e8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, master, short. The key move Qxc6 wins material.

Position data

FEN: q6k/6p1/7p/2P1Q3/pP6/P1P1p1BP/4r1P1/R5K1 w - - 2 39

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.