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

Rating 1441 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen f3; rook a1; bishops c4/e3; knight d2; pawns a4/c3/c5/d3/e4/g2. Black: king g8; queen h2; rooks a8/f8; knights c6/g3; pawns a7/b7/c7/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh4 — queen h2→h4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxg3 — queen f3→g3, captures knight. Opponent replies Qxg3+ (queen h4→g3, captures queen, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kxg3 — king f2→g3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Qxg3 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/ppp2ppp/2n5/2P1p3/P1B1P3/2PPBQn1/3N1KPq/R7 b - - 3 16

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.