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

Position

White: king b1; queen a8; rook h4; bishops d3/h6; pawns a2/c2/h2. Black: king h8; queen c7; bishops c8/e5; knight g8; pawns a6/b2/d6/e6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qc3 — queen c7→c3. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bd2 — bishop h6→d2. Opponent replies Qxd3 (queen c3→d3, captures bishop).
3. Best move: cxd3 — pawn c2→d3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Bd2.

Position data

FEN: Q1b3nk/2q2p1p/p2pp2B/4b3/7R/3B4/PpP4P/1K6 b - - 1 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.