Chess Puzzle #F20KN — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1546 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king e1; queen d4; rooks c1/h1; pawns a3/b4/e3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen f5; rook a8; bishop c4; pawns a5/d5/f7/g6/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: g4 — pawn g2→g4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf3 — queen f5→f3. Opponent replies Rxc4 (rook c1→c4, captures bishop).
  3. Best move: Qxh1+ — queen f3→h1, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Ke2 (king e1→e2).
  4. Best move: dxc4 — pawn d5→c4, captures rook.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move Qxh1+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/5p1p/6p1/p2p1q2/1PbQ4/P3P2P/5PP1/2R1K2R w K - 0 25

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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