Chess Puzzle #Hd3QD — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1520 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f2; queen b5; rook c2; knight g2; pawns a5/b4/e3/f3/g4. Black: king f8; queen e5; rook h2; knights e7/f6; pawns d5/f7/g5/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qa1 — queen e5→a1. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qb8+ — queen b5→b8, gives check. Opponent replies Ne8 (knight f6→e8).
  3. Best move: Qxh2 — queen b8→h2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qb8+.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/4npp1/5n2/PQ1pq1p1/1P4P1/4PP2/2R2KNr/8 b - - 1 27

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.