Chess Puzzle #J4VWo — Intermediate, White to move, endgame

Rating 1473 · Intermediate · advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, long, rook endgame.

Position

White: king h1; rook a7; pawns c5/d4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; rook b4; pawns d5/e4/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxd4 — rook b4→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: c6 — pawn c5→c6. Opponent replies Rc4 (rook d4→c4).
  3. Best move: c7 — pawn c6→c7. Opponent replies e3 (pawn e4→e3).
  4. Best move: Ra8+ — rook a7→a8, gives check.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, endgame, long, rook endgame. The key move is c6.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/R5pp/8/2Pp4/1r1Pp3/7P/6P1/7K b - - 0 37

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.