Chess Puzzle #QAAsl — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2215 · Expert · advantage, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king h1; queen c4; rook f1; knight c7; pawns a4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d2; rook e8; knight d4; pawns a7/c5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re7 — rook e8→e7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd5 — queen c4→d5. Opponent replies h6 (pawn h7→h6).
  3. Best move: Qd8+ — queen d5→d8, gives check. Opponent replies Kh7 (king g8→h7).
  4. Best move: Qxe7 — queen d8→e7, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Qd5.

Position data

FEN: 4r1k1/p1N2ppp/8/2p5/P1Qn4/7P/3q2P1/5R1K b - - 2 27

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