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

Rating 1506 · Intermediate · advantage, long, middlegame, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h1; queen d2; rooks b1/f1; bishop g2; pawns b2/e4/f6/g4/h4. Black: king f8; queen a2; rooks a8/d8; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/d4/e6/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxg4 — knight e5→g4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qb4+ — queen d2→b4, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king f8→g8).
  3. Best move: Ra1 — rook b1→a1. Opponent replies Qxa1 (queen a2→a1, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Rxa1 — rook f1→a1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame, trapped piece. The key move is Qb4+.

Position data

FEN: r2r1k2/pp3p1p/4pPp1/4n3/3pP1PP/8/qP1Q2B1/1R3R1K b - - 1 22

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