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

Rating 2228 · Expert · crushing, defensive move, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen b5; rooks a1/f1; bishop c1; knights b1/g7; pawns a2/c3/e6/f2/g2/h2. Black: king f7; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops b6/c8; knights a5/e7; pawns a7/b7/c6/d7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxg7 — king f7→g7, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe5+ — queen b5→e5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king g7→g8).
  3. Best move: Bh6 — bishop c1→h6.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, opening, short. The key move is Qe5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bq3r/pp1pnkNp/1bp1P3/nQ6/8/2P5/P4PPP/RNB2RK1 b - - 0 15

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