Chess Puzzle #kxTul — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1887 · Advanced · crushing, long, middlegame, queenside attack.

Position

White: king b1; queen a7; rooks d1/h1; knights c3/f4; pawns a2/b2/c2/h2. Black: king f6; queen g2; rooks a8/h8; bishop f5; knight b6; pawns c7/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc7 — queen a7→c7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc2+ — queen g2→c2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ka1 (king b1→a1).
  3. Best move: Rxa2+ — rook a8→a2, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Nxa2 (knight c3→a2, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Qxc7 — queen c2→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, long, middlegame, queenside attack. The key move Qxc2+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r6r/Q1p2ppp/1n3k2/5b2/5N2/2N5/PPP3qP/1K1R3R w - - 2 20

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