Chess Puzzle #BvOFl — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2623 · Master · equality, middlegame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king h1; queen e1; rook a4; bishop b2; knight b1; pawns b4/c3/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b7; rook a8; bishop e5; knights b8/f5; pawns a6/e6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd5 — queen b7→d5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ra5 — rook a4→a5. Opponent replies Qb3 (queen d5→b3).
  3. Best move: Rxe5 — rook a5→e5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short, skewer. The key move is Ra5.

Position data

FEN: rn4k1/1q5p/p3p1p1/4bn2/RP6/2P5/1B4PP/1N2Q2K b - - 2 22

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