Chess Puzzle #Qd2jy — Master, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2527 · Master · crushing, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen c2; rooks d1/g1; bishop b1; pawns a2/c4/f2/f3/h2. Black: king h8; queen d4; rooks c8/f8; knight f6; pawns a5/b4/c7/e6/f7/h4/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qc5 — queen d4→c5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qb2 — queen c2→b2. Opponent replies Qe7 (queen c5→e7).
  3. Best move: Rd7 — rook d1→d7.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Qb2.

Position data

FEN: 2r2r1k/2p2p2/4pn1p/p7/1pPq3p/5P2/P1Q2P1P/1B1R2RK b - - 1 22

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