Chess Puzzle #OkPro — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2405 · Master · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen a3; rooks d1/e1; bishop e3; pawns a2/b2/c2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen f5; rooks d8/f8; bishop b7; knight c5; pawns a6/c7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc5 — queen a3→c5, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qg4 — queen f5→g4. Opponent replies Qxf8+ (queen c5→f8, captures rook, gives check).
  3. Best move: Rxf8 — rook d8→f8, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Qg4.

Position data

FEN: 3r1rk1/1bp2ppp/p7/2n2q2/8/Q3B3/PPP2PPP/3RR1K1 w - - 0 22

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