Chess Puzzle #GFnY0 — Master, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king c1; queen d4; rook h1; bishop d3; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2. Black: king g8; queen e8; rooks a8/g5; bishop c8; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qd7 — queen e8→d7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Re1 — rook h1→e1. Opponent replies Rxd5 (rook g5→d5, captures knight).
3. Best move: Qxd5 — queen d4→d5, captures rook.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, quiet move, short. The key move is Re1.

Position data

FEN: r1b1q1k1/ppp2pp1/7p/3N2r1/3Q4/3B4/PPP2PP1/2K4R b - - 1 20

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