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

Rating 1878 · Advanced · attraction, crushing, endgame, long, queenside attack, sacrifice.

Position

White: king b1; queen d2; rooks d1/h1; pawns b2/c2/d6/f3/g4/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishop e7; pawns b3/e5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: dxe7 — pawn d6→e7, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ra1+ — rook a8→a1, gives check. Opponent replies Kxa1 (king b1→a1, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Qa8+ — queen d8→a8, gives check. Opponent replies Qa5 (queen d2→a5).
  4. Best move: Qxa5+ — queen a8→a5, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, endgame, long, queenside attack, sacrifice. The key move Qxa5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qk2r/4bppp/3P4/4p3/6P1/1p3P2/1PPQ3P/1K1R3R w kq - 0 23

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