Chess Puzzle #dgdg3 — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2441 · Master · advanced pawn, crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b1; queen b4; rook d4; bishop h1; knight g7; pawns a3/b2/e4/f5/f6/g6. Black: king a8; queen c6; rook c8; bishop g8; knight a4; pawns a7/b7/c3. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxa4 — queen b4→a4, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: c2+ — pawn c3→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Kc1 (king b1→c1).
  3. Best move: Qxf6 — queen c6→f6, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

advanced pawn, crushing, middlegame, short. The key move is c2+.

Position data

FEN: k1r3b1/pp4N1/2q2PP1/5P2/nQ1RP3/P1p5/1P6/1K5B w - - 0 37

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.