Chess Puzzle #Ai1HQ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1473 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king h1; queen h6; rook a1; bishop d4; pawns a2/b2/c3/d3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f6; rook a8; bishops f5/h4; pawns a7/b7/d6/g6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe7 — queen f6→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh8+ — queen h6→h8, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qxa8 — queen h8→a8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short, skewer. The key move is Qh8+.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/pp6/3p1qpQ/5b2/3B3b/2PP4/PP4PP/R6K b - - 6 27

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