Chess Puzzle #KRMC9 — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1435 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, pin, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c8; bishop d4; pawns a2/b2/c2/d5/g2/h2. Black: king h7; queen g6; knight b8; pawns a6/b6/c7/f4/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb8 — queen c8→b8, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: f3 — pawn f4→f3. Opponent replies Kf2 (king g1→f2).
  3. Best move: Qxg2+ — queen g6→g2, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, pin, short. The key move Qxg2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1nQ5/2p3pk/pp4qp/3P4/3B1p2/8/PPP3PP/6K1 w - - 1 30

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.