Chess Puzzle #M4ZwG — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1547 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rooks c1/e1; pawns d4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen a2; rook d7; bishop e6; knight c6; pawns b7/c7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxd4 — knight c6→d4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ra1 — rook c1→a1. Opponent replies Qxa1 (queen a2→a1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Rxa1 — rook e1→a1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move is Ra1.

Position data

FEN: 2k5/1ppr2pp/2n1b3/8/3P4/4Q3/q4PPP/2R1R1K1 b - - 4 37

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.