Chess Puzzle #Cp70d — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1617 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king g3; queen d7; rooks e4/h1; bishop f1; knight b7; pawns a2/c3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king f8; queen f6; rooks a8/h8; knights a6/d5; pawns a7/c6/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nb8 — knight a6→b8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc8+ — queen d7→c8, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  3. Best move: Qxh8 — queen c8→h8, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short, skewer. The key move is Qc8+.

Position data

FEN: r4k1r/pN1Q1ppp/n1p2q2/3np3/4R3/2P3KP/P4PP1/5B1R b - - 8 22

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