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

Rating 1799 · Advanced · deflection, equality, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks b4/d1; bishop b3; pawns a2/f2/g3/h4. Black: king h8; queen f6; rooks b8/g6; bishop c8; pawns a6/b5/e5/f5/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: f4 — pawn f5→f4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd8+ — rook d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Qxd8 (queen f6→d8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxe5+ — queen h5→e5, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

deflection, equality, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The key move Qxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1rb4k/7p/p4qr1/1p2pp1Q/1R5P/1B4P1/P4P2/3R2K1 b - - 0 33

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