Chess Puzzle #AHjVH — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1774 · Advanced · advantage, deflection, endgame, fork, long, pin.

Position

White: king f2; queen e3; bishops b3/f4; pawns a2/c2/c4/d3/e4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king c7; queen h1; rooks f8/h8; pawns a7/b7/c5/d6/f5/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rhg8 — rook h8→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc5+ — queen e3→c5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kb8 (king c7→b8).
  3. Best move: Bxd6+ — bishop f4→d6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ka8 (king b8→a8).
  4. Best move: Bxf8 — bishop d6→f8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, endgame, fork, long, pin. The key move Qxc5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5r1r/ppk5/3p4/2p2p1p/2P1PB2/1B1PQP2/P1P2KPP/7q b - - 3 22

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