Chess Puzzle #8215x — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1538 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, master, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen d4; rook g8; knight e2; pawns d3/h3. Black: king f6; queen e7; rook a2; bishop f5; pawns a6/d5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen e7→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh4+ — queen d4→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Ke6 (king f6→e6).
  3. Best move: Re8+ — rook g8→e8, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, master, short. The key move is Qh4+.

Position data

FEN: 6R1/4qp1p/p4k2/3p1b2/3Q4/3P3P/r3NK2/8 b - - 2 37

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