Chess Puzzle #BmweX — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1423 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen d1; rook a1; bishops c1/c4; knight b1; pawns a2/b2/c3/d5/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishop f3; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxf3 — queen d1→f3, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh4+ — queen d8→h4, gives check. Opponent replies Kg1 (king f2→g1).
  3. Best move: Qxc4 — queen h4→c4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qh4+.

Position data

FEN: rn1q1rk1/ppp2ppp/8/3P4/2B5/2P2b1P/PP3KP1/RNBQ4 w - - 0 12

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