Chess Puzzle #EF7MC — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1658 · Advanced · advantage, master, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h2; queen g4; rooks c4/d3; bishop g3; pawns b3/f4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e1; rooks a3/f5; bishop e7; pawns c5/d4/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qf1 — queen e1→f1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd1 — rook d3→d1. Opponent replies Qxd1 (queen f1→d1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxd1 — queen g4→d1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, master, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is Rd1.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/4b2p/6p1/2p2r2/2Rp1PQ1/rP1R2BP/6PK/4q3 b - - 0 30

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