Chess Puzzle #B9I6W — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1945 · Advanced · clearance, endgame, equality, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen b7; rook b1; knight c6; pawns a7/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f4; rooks a8/e8; pawns d5/e6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxh2 — queen f4→h2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxa8 — queen b7→a8, captures rook. Opponent replies Rxa8 (rook e8→a8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rb8+ — rook b1→b8, gives check.

Tactical themes

clearance, endgame, equality, sacrifice, short. The key move Qxa8 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r3r1k1/PQ3pp1/2N1p2p/3p4/5q2/8/5PPP/1R3K2 b - - 2 29

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