Chess Puzzle #hwfE6 — Advanced, Black to move, endgame

Position

White: king b5; rook a6; knight g3; pawns a4/b6/h2. Black: king e5; rook c2; bishop e6; pawns g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: b7 — pawn b6→b7. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Rb2+ — rook c2→b2, gives check. Opponent replies Kc5 (king b5→c5).
3. Best move: Rxb7 — rook b2→b7, captures pawn.

Why this works

After White pushes 1.b7, Black's rook on c2 delivers check with 1...Rb2, forcing the king to move. The crucial point is the skewer: when White's king moves to c5 (or any square along the fifth rank), the rook captures the pawn on b7 with 2...Rxb7. The king on c5 cannot recapture because it would move into check from Black's bishop on e6, which controls the c4-e6 diagonal. White's rook on a6 is too far away to defend b7. Black has neutralized White's dangerous passed pawn and equalized the material.

What to practice

In rook-and-bishop endgames, learn to spot skewer patterns where the opponent's king shields a piece from its own defender. Here, the bishop on e6 becomes the real protector—it doesn't directly guard b7, but it controls the square the king would need to occupy to recapture. When a passed pawn is attacking a key square, check whether the defending king's escape squares are covered by your minor pieces. This converts a passive defensive move (stopping the pawn) into an active tactical blow (the skewer).

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, short, skewer. The key move is Rb2+.

Position data

FEN: 8/6pp/RP2b3/1K2k3/P7/6N1/2r4P/8 w - - 5 56

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