Chess Puzzle #EsjoL — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1524 · Intermediate · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen d2; rook f1; knights b5/d4; pawns a2/c2/e4/f5. Black: king g7; queen g3; rooks c5/f8; pawns a7/b7/d6/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: e5 — pawn e6→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: f6+ — pawn f5→f6, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g7→h8).
  3. Best move: Qh6 — queen d2→h6.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is f6+.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/pp3pkp/3pp1p1/1Nr2P2/3NP3/6q1/P1PQ4/5R1K b - - 0 25

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