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

Rating 2219 · Expert · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks c1/f1; knight e3; pawns a4/b5/c4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g7; queen c7; rooks a8/e8; bishop b7; knight d7; pawns a5/b6/c5/e4/f7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen c7→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qg4+ — queen h5→g4, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g7→f8).
  3. Best move: Qxd7 — queen g4→d7, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qg4+.

Position data

FEN: r3r3/1bqn1pk1/1p6/pPp4Q/P1P1p3/4N3/5PPP/2R2RK1 b - - 0 23

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

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