Chess Puzzle #s1ckw — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1827 · Advanced · crushing, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rook b7; bishops a5/f3; pawns a3/e5/f4/g3/h2. Black: king g8; queen c5; rook f8; bishop d3; pawns a7/c4/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Kh1 — king g1→h1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf2 — queen c5→f2. Opponent replies Qe1 (queen c3→e1).
  3. Best move: Qxf3+ — queen f2→f3, captures bishop, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, middlegame, short. The key move Qxf3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 5rk1/pR3pp1/7p/B1q1P3/2p2P2/P1Qb1BP1/7P/6K1 w - - 4 38

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