Chess Puzzle #8Efrc — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2219 · Expert · crushing, defensive move, endgame, hanging piece, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen f3; rook c2; bishop a3; knight e3; pawns b4/d4/f2/g3/h4. Black: king g8; queen f1; rook e1; bishop f7; pawns a7/b7/f5/g7/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxe3 — rook e1→e3, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe3 — queen f3→e3, captures rook. Opponent replies Bd5 (bishop f7→d5).
  3. Best move: f3 — pawn f2→f3.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, hanging piece, short. The key move Qxe3 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/pp3bp1/7p/5p2/1P1P3P/B3NQP1/2R2P1K/4rq2 b - - 2 31

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