Chess Puzzle #taRlg — Advanced, White to move, opening

Rating 1952 · Advanced · equality, middlegame, short, trapped piece.

Position

White: king h1; queen e2; rooks a1/f1; bishops b3/e3; knight b1; pawns a5/b2/c2/f3/g2/h2. Black: king c8; queen d4; rooks d8/h8; bishops e6/f8; knights e5/f6; pawns a7/b7/c6/d5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb2 — queen d4→b2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ra2 — rook a1→a2. Opponent replies Qxa2 (queen b2→a2, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Bxa2 — bishop b3→a2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short, trapped piece. The key move is Ra2.

Position data

FEN: 2kr1b1r/pp3ppp/2p1bn2/P2pn3/3q4/1B2BP2/1PP1Q1PP/RN3R1K b - - 1 15

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