Chess Puzzle #H1M8Q — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1603 · Advanced · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c2; rooks a1/f1; bishop b2; pawns a3/b4/e3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks d8/f3; bishop d6; knight g4; pawns a6/b7/c7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: hxg4 — pawn h3→g4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qh4 — queen e7→h4. Opponent replies Be5 (bishop b2→e5).
  3. Best move: Bxe5 — bishop d6→e5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Qh4.

Position data

FEN: 3r3k/1pp1q1pp/p2b4/8/1P4n1/P3Pr1P/1BQ2PP1/R4RK1 w - - 0 20

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.