Chess Puzzle #B6DcQ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1564 · Intermediate · equality, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e2; rooks a1/f1; bishop c1; knights b1/d4; pawns a3/b2/c3/e4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen e8; rooks a8/f8; bishop c5; knights c6/h5; pawns a7/b7/c7/e5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: exd4 — pawn e5→d4, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc4+ — queen e2→c4, gives check. Opponent replies Qf7 (queen e8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qxc5 — queen c4→c5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, opening, short. The key move is Qc4+.

Position data

FEN: r3qrk1/ppp3pp/2n5/2b1p2n/3NP3/P1P2P2/1P2Q1PP/RNB2RK1 b - - 2 14

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

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