Chess Puzzle #P7Dcn — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2258 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f2; rooks a1/e1; bishop d6; pawns a2/b2/c3/e6/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen h5; rooks c8/h8; bishop c6; pawns a7/b7/d5/f6/g7/h3. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa7 — queen f2→a7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: d4 — pawn d5→d4. Opponent replies Qxd4 (queen a7→d4, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Qf3 — queen h5→f3.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is d4.

Position data

FEN: 2r1k2r/pp4p1/2bBPp2/3p3q/8/2P3Pp/PP3Q1P/R3R1K1 w k - 0 24

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.