Chess Puzzle #7w1G0 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; rooks a1/f1; pawns a4/b3/b5/d5/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; rooks b8/e7; bishop g5; pawns a7/c7/d6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Re5 — rook e7→e5. Now White to move.
2. Best move: f4 — pawn f2→f4. Opponent replies Rxd5 (rook e5→d5, captures pawn).
3. Best move: fxg5 — pawn f4→g5, captures bishop.

Why this works

After 23...Re5, Black threatens to capture the d5 pawn with tempo. White's 24.f4 attacks the rook, forcing it to make a choice: if 24...Rxd5, then 25.fxg5 removes Black's bishop with a tempo, since the rook on d5 is now undefended and White's f-pawn captures it next. The rook cannot defend the bishop because it's too far away. If Black plays 24...Rd4 or another rook move instead, White still plays 25.fxg5, winning the bishop outright. The pawn fork on g5 arrives with forcing tempo because the f4 advance first displaced Black's rook from e5, where it could have guarded the bishop. White trades a pawn (the f-pawn) for a bishop—a clear material gain—while maintaining the d5 pawn.

What to practice

Recognize pawn forks as defensive resources in endgames. When a rook and bishop coordinate on the same flank, look for a pawn advance that attacks one piece and forces it to abandon defense of the other. The tempo gained by checking or threatening the more mobile piece (the rook) buys you time to capture the less mobile one (the bishop). This pattern repeats whenever you have a passed pawn and the opponent's pieces are close together.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, fork, short. The key move is f4.

Position data

FEN: 1r4k1/p1p1rpp1/3p3p/1P1P2b1/P7/1P5P/5PP1/R4RK1 b - - 0 23

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