Winning blow: rook to c7 (d7·5)
c9-10651naming tag (square·N)Opens in the app if installed, otherwise downloads the APK.
The tactical motive
Chess960 twist: use the unusual starting setup of the pieces.
Winning tactic: there is a move that gains a decisive advantage — find it.
Difficulty 1930 ShuffleRating — for advanced tacticians.
White to move — find the best continuation
How to recognize this tactic
In Chess960 the pieces start on unfamiliar squares, so tactics appear earlier and from unusual angles. Do not trust classical patterns — read the actual lines of the bishops, the rooks and the queen from where they really stand in this position.
This position hides a concrete tactic that wins material or mates. Start with the most forcing candidate moves — checks, captures and threats — and calculate each to a clear end before choosing; the winning line is usually the one the opponent cannot meet.
General method: before you move, list the forcing candidates — every check, every capture, every direct threat — and calculate those first. The solution to a tactic is almost always among them.
Position on the board
White: king c1, rook b2 d7, bishop g4, knight a6, pawn g2 c3 h5.
Black: king c6, rook b8 h8, bishop e4, pawn e5 b6 a7 g7 h7.
8 white and 9 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 26.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (19 against 18; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on c1, the black king on c6.
It is White to move on move 26, with 38 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 3 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): d, f — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: a, b, e.
The White king has 2 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
26. Rc7+ Kd5 27. Rb5+ Kd6 28. Rd7+ Kc6 29. Rxe5
Why it works
- Best move. rook to c7 is exactly what the engine plays (#7).
- Spot on — rook to b5 (#4).
- Strong! rook to d7 is the sharp choice (#3).
- Best move. rook to e5 is exactly what the engine plays (#4).
- You win decisive material (+15.0).
- If instead Kd5, then Rb5+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 26. Rc7+ — rook to c7 with check
- Kd5 — king to d5
- 27. Rb5+ — rook to b5 with check
- Kd6 — king to d6
- 28. Rd7+ — rook to d7 with check
- Kc6 — king to c6
- 29. Rxe5 — rook to e5 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Winning blow
Find the strike that wins material by force.
A winning blow is a forced material gain that does not fit a single textbook motif. The general tactical recipe applies: spot loose pieces, an awkwardly placed king, overloaded lines. Go through the forcing moves in order of violence — checks, captures, threats — because most combinations start with one of them. Do not judge by feel: calculate the concrete line until the outcome is beyond doubt.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #265.
SP-265 · BastionScout — A c- or f-file king with at least one knight out on the edge.
The king starts on c1, the rooks on b1 and h1, the queen on g1.
The king already stands on c1, so castling long moves only the rook, from b1 to d1.
The bishops stand on d1 and e1; their long diagonals reach h5 and a5 once the e- and d-pawns step aside.
One second-rank pawn starts with no defender at all: a2.
The setup belongs to the BastionScout family; read right to left it becomes position 601.
The engine's main line opens with f4.
Morozov Balance Index: 55 of 100 — class B — balanced. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +25 centipawns for White (depth 41, 400 000 000 nodes).
Explore position #265Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 014 · SP-265
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