Chess Puzzle #xx9Tk — Master, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2730 · Master · crushing, endgame, long.

Position

White: king g1; queen a5; rook e1; knight a4; pawns a2/b3/e5/f2/g3/h2. Black: king h7; queen a3; bishop e6; knight d3; pawns f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Re2 — rook e1→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qc1+ — queen a3→c1, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king g1→g2).
  3. Best move: Qc6+ — queen c1→c6, gives check. Opponent replies f3 (pawn f2→f3).
  4. Best move: Bh3+ — bishop e6→h3, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long. The key move is Qc1+.

Position data

FEN: 8/5ppk/4b2p/Q3P3/N7/qP1n2P1/P4P1P/4R1K1 w - - 1 27

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.