Chess Puzzle #EiMnH — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2264 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h3; rooks c1/f1; bishop d2; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b6; rooks a8/f8; bishop g6; knight c2; pawns a6/b7/d6/e5/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb2 — queen b6→b2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rf6 — rook f1→f6. Opponent replies Qxc1+ (queen b2→c1, captures rook, gives check).
  3. Best move: Bxc1 — bishop d2→c1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Rf6.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/1p3p1p/pq1p2b1/4p1N1/8/7Q/PPnB2PP/2R2R1K b - - 1 23

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