Chess Puzzle #CKl2K — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1443 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, long, skewer.

Position

White: king h4; queen d2; rook e1; bishop h6; pawns a2/f5/g4/h3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rook e8; bishop c4; pawns a4/c5/d3/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxe1 — rook e8→e1, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg5+ — queen d2→g5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g8→f7).
  3. Best move: Qg7+ — queen g5→g7, gives check. Opponent replies Ke8 (king f7→e8).
  4. Best move: Qxc7 — queen g7→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, skewer. The key move is Qg5+.

Position data

FEN: 4r1k1/2q4p/7B/2p2P2/p1b3PK/3p3P/P2Q4/4R3 b - - 3 51

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.