Chess Puzzle #O6yBm — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1896 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, pin, sacrifice, short, skewer.

Position

White: king h2; queen c4; rook e1; knight f3; pawns a2/b3/e3/f2/g3/h3. Black: king g8; queen d5; rook d8; knight c3; pawns a7/b7/c6/f5/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxa2 — knight c3→a2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd1 — rook e1→d1. Opponent replies Qxc4 (queen d5→c4, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Rxd8+ — rook d1→d8, captures rook, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, pin, sacrifice, short, skewer. The key move Rxd8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3r2k1/pp5p/2p3p1/3q1p2/2Q5/1Pn1PNPP/P4P1K/4R3 b - - 2 24

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