Chess Puzzle #Kcf9x — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1999 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, endgame, long.

Position

White: king g1; queen g4; rook d1; bishop e3; pawns a2/b3/f2/h3. Black: king h8; queen c2; bishops a8/e7; pawns a5/b5/e5/g7/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd7 — queen g4→d7. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe4 — queen c2→e4. Opponent replies Qc8+ (queen d7→c8, gives check).
  3. Best move: Kh7 — king h8→h7. Opponent replies Qxa8 (queen c8→a8, captures bishop).
  4. Best move: Qxa8 — queen e4→a8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, long. The key move is Qe4.

Position data

FEN: b6k/4b1p1/7p/pp2p3/6Q1/1P2B2P/P1q2P2/3R2K1 w - - 2 33

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.