Chess Puzzle #Ay1Hd — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king h1; queen d5; rook f1; bishop f4; pawns a2/b2/e5/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishop b4; knight a1; pawns a7/b7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 7 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rd8 — rook h8→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Rc1+ — rook f1→c1, gives check. Opponent replies Qc7 (queen b6→c7).
3. Best move: Rxc7+ — rook c1→c7, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Rxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1k4r/pp4pp/1q6/3QP3/1b3B2/8/PP4PP/n4R1K b - - 2 19

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.