Chess Puzzle #X9DYT — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1935 · Advanced · deflection, equality, middlegame, sacrifice, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen g4; rooks a1/e1; knight h4; pawns a5/f2/g3. Black: king g7; queen c3; rooks a8/f8; knight d5; pawns c5/d6/e6/f7/g6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxa5 — rook a8→a5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxe6 — rook e1→e6, captures pawn. Opponent replies fxe6 (pawn f7→e6, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qxg6+ — queen g4→g6, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

deflection, equality, middlegame, sacrifice, short. The key move Qxg6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/5pk1/3pp1p1/P1pn4/6QN/2q3P1/5PK1/R3R3 b - - 3 29

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