Chess Puzzle #AmmW4 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1549 · Intermediate · equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen a4; rooks a1/h1; bishop d2; knight b1; pawns a2/b2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b7; rooks a8/h8; bishop b4; knights d4/f6; pawns a7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nc6 — knight d4→c6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxb4 — bishop d2→b4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxb4 (queen b7→b4, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxc6+ — queen a4→c6, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/pq3ppp/5n2/8/Qb1n4/8/PP1B1PPP/RN3K1R b kq - 1 13

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