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

Rating 1954 · Advanced · advantage, defensive move, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen f4; rooks e1/g3; bishop f1; pawns a2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; knight b6; pawns a6/b5/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nd5 — knight b6→d5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qh6 — queen f4→h6. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
  3. Best move: Rh3 — rook g3→h3.

Tactical themes

advantage, defensive move, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Qh6.

Position data

FEN: r2q1rk1/5ppp/pn2p3/1p2P3/5Q2/6R1/P4PPP/4RBK1 b - - 2 23

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