Chess Puzzle #8lYZh — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1947 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen b3; rooks b1/h1; bishops c4/d2; pawns a2/c5/e3/f2/g2/g6. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/e8; bishops e6/g7; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c6/e4/g5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe7 — queen d8→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc3 — bishop d2→c3. Opponent replies Bxc3+ (bishop g7→c3, captures bishop, gives check).
  3. Best move: Qxc3 — queen b3→c3, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Bc3.

Position data

FEN: rn1qr1k1/pp4b1/2p1b1P1/2P3p1/2B1p3/1Q2P3/P2B1PP1/1R2K2R b K - 2 20

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