Chess Puzzle #Xq0Ri — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2251 · Expert · advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, quiet move, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen d6; rooks d1/h1; knight f6; pawns a2/b2/c2/f3/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen f7; rooks a8/h6; bishop f5; knight b8; pawns a7/b7/c6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nd7 — knight b8→d7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ne8 — knight f6→e8. Opponent replies Qxe8 (queen f7→e8, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxh6 — queen d6→h6, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, middlegame, quiet move, short. The key move is Ne8.

Position data

FEN: rnk5/pp3q2/2pQ1N1r/5b2/8/5P2/PPP3PP/2KR3R b - - 1 21

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