Chess Puzzle #8VE9q — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1419 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king f1; queen d3; rook a1; bishop e2; knight g3; pawns a3/c2/d4/d5/e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rook a8; bishop c8; knights c4/f8; pawns a7/b5/e6/g5/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd5 — queen d8→d5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bf3 — bishop e2→f3. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen d5→d8).
  3. Best move: Bxa8 — bishop f3→a8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short, skewer. The key move is Bf3.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1nk1/p6p/4p3/1p1PP1p1/2nP4/P2Q2N1/2P1B1PP/R4K2 b - - 0 19

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