Chess Puzzle #II9S9 — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1535 · Intermediate · crushing, intermezzo, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rooks a1/e1; knight c5; pawns a2/b2/d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen e7; rooks d8/h8; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc5 — queen e7→c5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh3+ — queen d3→h3, gives check. Opponent replies Kb8 (king c8→b8).
  3. Best move: dxc5 — pawn d4→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, intermezzo, middlegame, short. The key move is Qh3+.

Position data

FEN: 2kr3r/pp2qpp1/2p2n1p/2N5/3P4/3Q4/PP3PPP/R3R1K1 b - - 2 17

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