Chess Puzzle #E8wE9 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1593 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, hanging piece, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rooks a1/c3; pawns a4/f3/g3. Black: king g8; queen f6; rook b3; bishop d5; pawns e6/f7/g7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxb3 — rook c3→b3, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxa1+ — queen f6→a1, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kf2 (king g1→f2).
  3. Best move: Qa2+ — queen a1→a2, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, hanging piece, short. The key move Qxa1+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/5pp1/4pq2/3b4/P7/1rR1QPP1/8/R5K1 w - - 0 35

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.