Chess Puzzle #esa68 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1901 · Advanced · equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen e5; rooks e1/f8; bishop e3; pawns a2/b3/c4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen g4; rook d7; bishop g7; knight d5; pawns a7/b6/c6/e6/g6/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxf8 — king g8→f8, captures rook. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qb8+ — queen e5→b8, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king f8→f7).
  3. Best move: cxd5 — pawn c4→d5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move is Qb8+.

Position data

FEN: 5Rk1/p2r2bp/1pp1p1p1/3nQ3/2P3q1/1P2B3/P5PP/4R2K b - - 0 24

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