Chess Puzzle #iwQT3 — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1826 · Advanced · advantage, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h1; queen g3; rook a2; bishop e2; knights c4/d5; pawns b3/c2/d3/e4/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen d4; rooks a8/f6; bishops b5/g7; pawns a6/c5/f7/g6/h5. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf2 — rook f6→f2. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: c3 — pawn c2→c3. Opponent replies Qxd5 (queen d4→d5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: exd5 — pawn e4→d5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is c3.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/5pb1/p4rp1/1bpN3p/2NqP3/1P1P2QP/R1P1B1P1/7K b - - 2 35

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