Chess Puzzle #97s73 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1424 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king f4; queen h4; pawns a5/b4/c3/d4/f3/g4/h2. Black: king h7; queen g6; bishop g8; pawns a6/b5/d5/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bf7 — bishop g8→f7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh5+ — queen h4→h5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxh5 (queen g6→h5, captures queen).
  3. Best move: gxh5 — pawn g4→h5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move Qxh5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 6b1/7k/p5q1/Pp1p3p/1P1P1KPQ/2P2P2/7P/8 b - - 3 47

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