Chess Puzzle #J4qWa — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king b1; queen d3; rooks d1/e3; pawns a3/b2/c2/f3/h4. Black: king g8; queen c5; rooks c4/f8; pawns a6/b5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rxc2 — rook c4→c2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: b4 — pawn b2→b4. Opponent replies Qc4 (queen c5→c4).
3. Best move: Qxc2 — queen d3→c2, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, short. The key move is b4.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/5ppp/p3p3/1pq5/2r4P/P2QRP2/1PP5/1K1R4 b - - 0 23

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.