Chess Puzzle #K5Zmc — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1415 · Intermediate · crushing, deflection, endgame, short, skewer.

Position

White: king g1; queen a7; knight f1; pawns a2/b2/c4/d5/g2/h3. Black: king g5; queen h4; bishops f5/h8; pawns f4/g6/h5. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: f3 — pawn f4→f3. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe7+ — queen a7→e7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh6 (king g5→h6).
  3. Best move: Qxh4 — queen e7→h4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, endgame, short, skewer. The key move is Qe7+.

Position data

FEN: 7b/Q7/6p1/3P1bkp/2P2p1q/7P/PP4P1/5NK1 b - - 0 36

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.