Chess Puzzle #II9SA — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1656 · Advanced · equality, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen a4; rooks d6/f1; knight c3; pawns a2/b2/g3/h2. Black: king d7; queen e5; rooks b8/d8; knight c6; pawns f3/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd6 — queen e5→d6, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd1 — rook f1→d1. Opponent replies Kc7 (king d7→c7).
  3. Best move: Rxd6 — rook d1→d6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Rd1.

Position data

FEN: 1r1r4/3k4/2nR3p/4q3/Q7/2N2pP1/PP5P/5R1K b - - 0 32

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.