Chess Puzzle #Bhw84 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1458 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, queenside attack, short.

Position

White: king e2; queen b4; rook a1; bishops c4/f2; pawns a2/b2/c2/e4/e5/f3. Black: king b8; queen h2; rooks d8/h8; knight g8; pawns a7/b6/c6/e6/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe5 — queen h2→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bxb6 — bishop f2→b6, captures pawn. Opponent replies axb6 (pawn a7→b6, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxb6+ — queen b4→b6, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, queenside attack, short. The key move Qxb6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1k1r2nr/p5pp/1pp1p3/4P3/1QB1P3/5P2/PPP1KB1q/R7 b - - 1 20

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.