Chess Puzzle #HCQp9 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1407 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, pin, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen b7; rook d3; pawns a6/d5/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e5; rook d8; pawns c7/d6/f7/g6/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: g3 — pawn g2→g3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe2 — queen e5→e2. Opponent replies Kg2 (king h2→g2).
  3. Best move: Qxd3 — queen e2→d3, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, pin, short. The key move is Qe2.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/1Qp2p2/P2p2pp/3Pq3/8/3R3P/5PPK/8 w - - 0 36

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.