Chess Puzzle #o04u6 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2110 · Expert · equality, hanging piece, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c4; rooks a1/f1; bishops c1/e4; pawns a2/b2/d2/e3/f2/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen g5; rooks a8/e8; bishops c8/g7; knight b4; pawns a7/b7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: b5 — pawn b7→b5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb4 — queen c4→b4, captures knight. Opponent replies a5 (pawn a7→a5).
  3. Best move: Qd6 — queen b4→d6.

Tactical themes

equality, hanging piece, middlegame, short. The key move Qxb4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r1b1r1k1/pp3pbp/6p1/6q1/1nQ1B3/4P1P1/PP1P1P1P/R1B2RK1 b - - 2 15

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