Chess Puzzle #9t8b1 — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1756 · Advanced · advantage, endgame, exposed king, skewer, very long.

Position

White: king f1; queen d5; rook b6; pawns a5/e5/f4/g3/h2. Black: king f8; queen e8; rook c1; pawns a6/f5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke2 — king f1→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh5+ — queen e8→h5, gives check. Opponent replies Ke3 (king e2→e3).
  3. Best move: Re1+ — rook c1→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Kd4 (king e3→d4).
  4. Best move: Rd1+ — rook e1→d1, gives check. Opponent replies Kc5 (king d4→c5).
  5. Best move: Rxd5+ — rook d1→d5, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, exposed king, skewer, very long. The key move Rxd5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 4qk2/6pp/pR6/P2QPp2/5P2/6P1/7P/2r2K2 w - - 7 38

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