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

Rating 1540 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, long, middlegame, quiet move.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rook f1; bishops d2/f3; pawns a2/b2/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen b1; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; pawns a7/b7/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa2 — queen b1→a2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bc3 — bishop d2→c3. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
  3. Best move: Bd5+ — bishop f3→d5, gives check. Opponent replies Be6 (bishop c8→e6).
  4. Best move: Bxa2 — bishop d5→a2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, long, middlegame, quiet move. The key move is Bc3.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/ppp2ppp/8/8/3Q4/4PB2/PP1B1PPP/1q3RK1 b - - 1 17

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