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

Rating 1829 · Advanced · crushing, endgame, master, pin, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rook g3; bishop f1; pawns a4/c3/e5/f2/g2/h5. Black: king g8; queen c6; rook b1; bishop d5; pawns a7/c4/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa4 — queen c6→a4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxh6 — queen f4→h6, captures pawn. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxg7+ — queen h6→g7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, master, pin, short. The key move Qxg7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/p4pp1/2q1p2p/3bP2P/P1p2Q2/2P3R1/5PP1/1r3BK1 b - - 3 29

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