Chess Puzzle #94teR — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen g5; rook d1; bishop e2; knight f2; pawns c2/f6/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen d4; rook a1; bishops b4/e6; pawns a7/c6/c7/f7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxf2 — queen d4→f2, captures knight. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rxa1 — rook d1→a1, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxe2 (queen f2→e2, captures bishop).
3. Best move: Qh4 — queen g5→h4.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Rxa1 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/p1p2p2/2p1bP2/6Q1/1b1q4/8/2P1BNPP/r2R3K b - - 3 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.