Chess Puzzle #Cs3pJ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1569 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice.

Position

White: king h1; queen d1; rooks b1/e1; bishop g2; pawns a2/e6/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen g6; rooks a8/f8; bishop d7; pawns a7/c3/c5/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxe6 — bishop d7→e6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxe6 — rook e1→e6, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxe6 (queen g6→e6, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Bd5 — bishop g2→d5. Opponent replies Qxd5+ (queen e6→d5, captures bishop, gives check).
  4. Best move: Qxd5+ — queen d1→d5, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, pin, sacrifice. The key move Qxd5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/p2b2p1/4P1qp/2p5/8/2p3P1/P5BP/1R1QR2K b - - 0 26

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.