Chess Puzzle #Da5G0 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1613 · Advanced · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops e3/f1; knights c3/g1; pawns a2/b2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d5; rooks a8/h8; bishops b4/c8; knights d4/f6; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf5 — knight d4→f5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qa4+ — queen d1→a4, gives check. Opponent replies Bd7 (bishop c8→d7).
  3. Best move: Qxb4 — queen a4→b4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, opening, short. The key move is Qa4+.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/ppp2ppp/5n2/3q4/1b1n4/2N1B3/PP3PPP/R2QKBNR b KQkq - 1 9

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