Chess Puzzle #vFJ3V — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2245 · Expert · endgame, equality, fork, long.

Position

White: king h3; queen h7; pawns f5/g3/h6. Black: king a7; rook e3; bishops d5/f8; pawns b4/b7/f6/g7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: gxh6 — pawn g7→h6, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qc7 — queen h7→c7. Opponent replies Ka6 (king a7→a6).
  3. Best move: Qd8 — queen c7→d8. Opponent replies Be7 (bishop f8→e7).
  4. Best move: Qxd5 — queen d8→d5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

endgame, equality, fork, long. The key move is Qc7.

Position data

FEN: 5b2/kp4pQ/5p1P/3b1P2/1p6/4r1PK/8/8 b - - 0 39

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.