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

Rating 1577 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h1; rooks a1/f1; bishop g4; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/e4/f5/h3. Black: king c8; queen g3; rook h8; pawns a6/b7/c5/d4/e6/f6/f7/h4. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: e5 — pawn e6→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rf3 — rook f1→f3. Opponent replies Qxf3+ (queen g3→f3, captures rook, gives check).
  3. Best move: Bxf3 — bishop g4→f3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short, trapped piece. The key move is Rf3.

Position data

FEN: 2k4r/1p3p2/p3pp2/2p2P2/3pP1Bp/3P2qP/PPP5/R4R1K b - - 3 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.