Chess Puzzle #CFS1U — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rooks a1/f1; knight b3; pawns a3/c2/c3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen a5; rooks a8/g6; bishop c8; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/e4/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh5 — queen a5→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d2→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qxc8 — queen d8→c8, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd8+.

Position data

FEN: rnb3k1/pp4pp/6r1/q7/4p3/PNP5/2PQ1PPP/R4RK1 b - - 3 16

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