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

Rating 1811 · Advanced · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king b3; queen c2; rooks c1/e1; bishop a5; pawns a2/b2/d4/e3. Black: king b8; queen g4; rooks d6/h3; knight b6; pawns a7/b7/c7/d5/f4/g6/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe3 — pawn f4→e3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxc7+ — queen c2→c7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Ka8 (king b8→a8).
  3. Best move: Qxd6 — queen c7→d6, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1k6/ppp3p1/1n1r2p1/B2p4/3P1pq1/1K2P2r/PPQ5/2R1R3 b - - 1 25

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