Chess Puzzle #UWt7I — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1963 · Advanced · equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d2; rooks a1/g1; bishops e2/h6; pawns a2/c2/g4/h5. Black: king g8; queen d7; rooks c8/f8; bishop e4; knight g7; pawns a6/b5/d6/e7/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxc2 — rook c8→c2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd4 — queen d2→d4. Opponent replies Ne6 (knight g7→e6).
  3. Best move: Qxe4 — queen d4→e4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd4.

Position data

FEN: 2r2rk1/3qppn1/p2p2pB/1p5P/4b1P1/8/P1PQB3/R3K1R1 b Q - 1 23

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