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

Rating 1402 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks c1/h1; bishop f1; knights c3/f3; pawns d4/d5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b2; rooks a8/h8; bishops a3/c8; knight c6; pawns a7/b7/e6/f6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: dxc6 — pawn d5→c6, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc1 — queen b2→c1, captures rook. Opponent replies Qxc1 (queen d1→c1, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxc1 — bishop a3→c1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short. The key move Qxc1 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/pp3p1p/2n1pp2/3P4/3P4/b1N2N2/1q3PPP/2RQKB1R w Kkq - 0 12

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