Chess Puzzle #9jQ5b — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1582 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king a1; queen g3; rook d1; knight e4; pawns a2/b2/c5/h2. Black: king g7; queen d4; rooks a8/f8; bishop f5; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c6/e5/f7/h6. Black is ahead by 10 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh8 — king g7→h8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxd4 — rook d1→d4, captures queen. Opponent replies exd4 (pawn e5→d4, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qe5+ — queen g3→e5, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Rxd4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: rn3r2/pp3pk1/2p4p/2P1pb2/3qN3/6Q1/PP5P/K2R4 b - - 1 19

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