Winning blow: rook to c7 (d7·2)
c9-11323naming 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 1010 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
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 e2, queen h7, rook c1 d7, bishop a1, knight e5, pawn a2 c2 h2 e3 c4 f4 g5.
Black: king b7, queen a4, rook a8 g8, knight e4 g4, pawn f5 e6 g6 a7 c7.
13 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 19.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 2 points of material (32 against 30; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on e2, the black king on b7.
It is White to move on move 19, with 46 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 7 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): b, d — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
The White king has 5 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
19. Rxc7+ Ka6 20. Rc6+ Qxc6 21. Nxc6
Why it works
- Great move! rook to c7 keeps the pressure (+10.4).
- Spot on — rook to c6 (+10.5).
- Strong! knight to c6 is the sharp choice (+10.7).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Ka6, then Rc6+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 19. Rxc7+ — rook to c7 (capture) with check
Types in this puzzle
Win the pinned piece
The pinned piece cannot run — attack it again and win it.
A pinned piece cannot flee, which means you can win it outright by attacking it one more time. Count attackers against defenders: if you outnumber them, the piece is yours. The best extra attacker is a pawn, since it costs less than anything it might capture. Do not rush the capture — build up the pressure first, then harvest.
Battery
Two pieces stacked on one line — the front one strikes with double force.
A battery stacks two long-range pieces on one line — a queen behind a bishop on a diagonal, or doubled rooks on a file. The front piece strikes with double force: capture it, and the piece behind recaptures with even more pressure. The battery is ready when both pieces already stare at one point and only the front strike is missing. Build batteries in advance on lines leading to the king — the doubling itself often breeds the combination.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #259.
SP-259 · ThroneGuard — A central king (d or e) and two knights tucked onto inner files: the family that holds the standard array, SP-518.
The king starts on d1, the rooks on c1 and g1, the queen on f1.
Castling long simply swaps the two pieces: the king on d1 and the rook on c1 trade places.
A bishop starts in the corner on a1: it has a single diagonal, which the b-pawn unlocks, running out to h8.
The second rank carries 2 pawns with no defender at all: a2, h2.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 595.
The engine's main line opens with b3.
Morozov Balance Index: 98 of 100 — class A — most balanced. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +3 centipawns for White (depth 45, 400 000 000 nodes).
In 50 self-play games White scored 47.0% (95% CI 33.9–60.6%).
Explore position #259Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 006 · SP-259
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