Chess Puzzle #hY9nY — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king e1; queen a6; bishop c7; pawns b2/c2/d4/f2/h2. Black: king e8; queen f6; rook h8; bishop f8; pawns c6/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 5 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Be7 — bishop f8→e7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxc6+ — queen a6→c6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king e8→f8).
3. Best move: Qa8+ — queen c6→a8, gives check. Opponent replies Bd8 (bishop e7→d8).
4. Best move: Bxd8 — bishop c7→d8, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move Qxc6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 4kb1r/2B2ppp/Q1p1pq2/8/3P4/8/1PP2P1P/4K3 b k - 1 16

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