Chess Puzzle #8ubqB — Advanced, Black to move, opening

Rating 1762 · Advanced · equality, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d2; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knights e4/f3; pawns a2/c2/d4/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b2; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c7/d5/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc1 — queen d2→c1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc1+ — queen b2→c1, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Rxc1 (rook a1→c1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: dxe4 — pawn d5→e4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, opening, short. The key move Qxc1+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rnb1k2r/ppp2ppp/4p3/3p4/3PN3/4PN2/PqPQ1PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 9

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