Chess Puzzle #AQToM — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1432 · Intermediate · advantage, clearance, long, middlegame, skewer.

Position

White: king h1; queen d7; rooks d1/f1; pawns a3/b4/c2/e5/f4/g2/h2. Black: king f8; queen c5; rooks a8/h8; knight f5; pawns a6/b5/e6/f7/g7/h5. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qa7 — queen c5→a7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxa7 — queen d7→a7, captures queen. Opponent replies Rxa7 (rook a8→a7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rd8+ — rook d1→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  4. Best move: Rxh8 — rook d8→h8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, long, middlegame, skewer. The key move Qxa7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r4k1r/3Q1pp1/p3p3/1pq1Pn1p/1P3P2/P7/2P3PP/3R1R1K b - - 0 22

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