Chess Puzzle #mVdU0 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a2/f5; bishop e3; knight b5; pawns a4/c3/e5/g3/h2. Black: king d7; queen b8; rooks a8/h8; bishop e7; knight b3; pawns c4/d5/e6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: exf5 — pawn e6→f5, captures rook. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxf5+ — queen h5→f5, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king d7→d8).
3. Best move: Qe6 — queen f5→e6.

Why this works

Black's last move 24...exf5 removes White's rook but fatally exposes the king on d7. White exploits this with 25.Qxf5+, a check that forces 25...Kd8 (the only legal move; Ke8 and Kc6 are both still in the queen's range on f5). The queen then lands on e6 with devastating effect: it attacks the bishop on e7 and simultaneously controls critical escape squares around Black's king. The bishop cannot move without leaving the king exposed, and Black has no counterplay — the queen on h5 was perfectly placed to deliver this blow once the e-file opened.

What to practice

When your rook is attacked in an aggressive position, calculate whether the recapture by your opponent's piece exposes their king to a forcing sequence. The pattern here is the rook sacrifice that opens lines toward an exposed enemy king — the queen picks up the pawn with check, and the resulting piece placement (queen on e6) nets material or delivers a decisive attack. Train recognition of when a pawn capture creates a discovered opportunity rather than a genuine gain for the opponent.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, short. The key move Qxf5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: rq5r/3kb1pp/4p3/1N1pPR1Q/P1p5/1nP1B1P1/R6P/6K1 b - - 0 24

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