Chess Puzzle #VLP8X — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1942 · Advanced · advanced pawn, crushing, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f5; rook f8; bishop b3; pawns a2/c3/e6/g2/h2. Black: king e7; queen b6; bishops e3/e8; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bg6 — bishop e8→g6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe5 — queen f5→e5, captures knight. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king e7→f8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: e7+ — pawn e6→e7, gives check.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The key move Qxe5 wins material.

Position data

FEN: 4bR2/pp2k1pp/1q2P3/4nQ2/8/1BP1b3/P5PP/7K b - - 5 26

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