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

Rating 1460 · Intermediate · crushing, deflection, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h6; rooks f1/g3; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rook f8; knight c6; pawns a5/b7/d5/e4/e6/g7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg3 — queen c7→g3, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe6+ — queen h6→e6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
  3. Best move: Rxf8 — rook f1→f8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, short. The key move Qxe6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/1pq3p1/2n1p2Q/p2p4/3Pp3/2P3RP/PP4P1/5RK1 b - - 0 25

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