Chess Puzzle #cIDC4 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1949 · Advanced · crushing, deflection, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king h1; queen h5; rooks d1/e1; pawns b2/c2/e6/g2/h2. Black: king h7; queen c5; rooks a8/f8; bishop f5; pawns a5/b4/b7/h6. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc2 — queen c5→c2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rd7+ — rook d1→d7, gives check. Opponent replies Kg8 (king h7→g8).
  3. Best move: Qxh6 — queen h5→h6, captures pawn. Opponent replies Qxb2 (queen c2→b2, captures pawn).
  4. Best move: Qg5+ — queen h6→g5, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, long, middlegame. The key move is Rd7+.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/1p5k/4P2p/p1q2b1Q/1p6/8/1PP3PP/3RR2K b - - 0 26

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

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