Chess Puzzle #szS40 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2125 · Expert · equality, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king g1; queen b3; rooks a1/f1; bishop d2; knight b1; pawns a3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks a8/d8; bishop d6; knight b2; pawns a7/d4/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe5 — queen f6→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: f4 — pawn f2→f4. Opponent replies Qf5 (queen e5→f5).
  3. Best move: Qxb2 — queen b3→b2, captures knight.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is f4.

Position data

FEN: r2r2k1/p4ppp/3b1q2/8/3p4/PQ5P/1n1B1PP1/RN3RK1 b - - 2 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.