Chess Puzzle #JjN6I — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1595 · Intermediate · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen d1; rook a1; bishop d4; knight e1; pawns a3/c2/c5/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f7; rooks a8/f8; pawns a6/b7/c7/g4/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg4 — queen d1→g4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc4+ — queen f7→c4, gives check. Opponent replies Nd3 (knight e1→d3).
  3. Best move: Qxd4 — queen c4→d4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qc4+.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/1pp2qp1/p6p/2P5/3BP1p1/P7/2P2PPP/R2QNK2 w - - 1 23

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.