Chess Puzzle #iaZS9 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1813 · Advanced · equality, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d1; rooks a1/f1; bishop c1; knights b1/f7; pawns a2/c3/e4/f5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rook a8; bishops a5/c8; knights e5/g4; pawns a7/b7/c7/d6/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kxf7 — king g8→f7, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qd5+ — queen d1→d5, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king f7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxa5 — queen d5→a5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qd5+.

Position data

FEN: r1bq2k1/ppp2Npp/3p4/b3nP2/4P1n1/2P5/P5PP/RNBQ1RK1 b - - 0 13

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