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

Rating 1498 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king h3; queen d2; rook c1; bishop e2; knight f3; pawns a2/d5/e4/g5. Black: king g8; queen f2; rook f8; pawns a3/b7/d6/e5/g6/h7. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf1 — rook c1→f1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf3+ — rook f8→f3, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Bxf3 (bishop e2→f3, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxd2 — queen f2→d2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move Rxf3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/1p5p/3p2p1/3Pp1P1/4P3/p4N1K/P2QBq2/2R5 w - - 0 35

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.