Chess Puzzle #EB04w — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2440 · Master · crushing, defensive move, endgame, short.

Position

White: king c3; queen d6; rook f2; pawns a5/c5/d4. Black: king a8; queen h8; bishop f3; pawns a6/b7/c6/d5/g4. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe8 — queen h8→e8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe5 — queen d6→e5. Opponent replies Qd8 (queen e8→d8).
  3. Best move: Kb4 — king c3→b4.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, short. The key move is Qe5.

Position data

FEN: k6q/1p6/p1pQ4/P1Pp4/3P2p1/2K2b2/5R2/8 b - - 5 50

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