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

Rating 2260 · Expert · advantage, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king e1; queen b4; rook a1; bishop e6; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c2/f4/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; knights e4/h1; pawns a7/b7/c7/d4/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd6 — queen d8→d6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb7 — queen b4→b7, captures pawn. Opponent replies Rd8 (rook a8→d8).
  3. Best move: Bf7+ — bishop e6→f7, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
  4. Best move: Qxe4 — queen b7→e4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Qxb7 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r2qk2r/ppp3pp/4B3/4N3/1Q1pnP2/8/PPP3PP/R3K2n b Qkq - 1 15

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.