Chess Puzzle #Vapqw — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1808 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, pin, queenside attack, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen h5; rooks d1/g1; bishop d3; knight e4; pawns a3/b2/c3/d4/e5/g4/h4. Black: king g8; queen d7; rooks a8/f8; bishops b7/e7; pawns a4/b6/c5/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: dxc5 — pawn d4→c5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxd3+ — queen d7→d3, captures bishop, gives check. Opponent replies Rxd3 (rook d1→d3, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Bxe4 — bishop b7→e4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, pin, queenside attack, sacrifice, short. The key move Qxd3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/1b1qbpp1/1p2p2p/2p1P2Q/p2PN1PP/P1PB4/1P6/1K1R2R1 w - - 0 21

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