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

Rating 2240 · Expert · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen h4; rook f1; bishop g5; pawns a2/c2/c3/e4/g2/h2. Black: king f7; queen c5; rook a8; bishop c8; knight g4; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kg8 — king f7→g8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Be3 — bishop g5→e3. Opponent replies Be6 (bishop c8→e6).
  3. Best move: Bxc5 — bishop e3→c5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is Be3.

Position data

FEN: r1b5/ppp2k1p/3p2p1/2q3B1/4P1nQ/2P5/P1P3PP/5R1K b - - 1 19

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