Winning blow: rook to e2 (e1·10)
c9-13776naming 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 1280 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 c1, queen d4, rook e1 f8, bishop d1, knight d2, pawn a2 g2 b3 c3 e5.
Black: king b7, queen h4, bishop d8, knight e2 g4, pawn a3 b6 e6 g6 c7 e7 h7.
11 white and 12 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 31.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 5 points of material (30 against 25; 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 b7.
It is White to move on move 31, with 4 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle. White are in check right now, so every reply must answer the check.
White keeps 5 pawns, Black 7. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): d, f — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: h.
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
31. Rxe2 Qg3 32. Rxd8 b5 33. Qe4+
Why it works
- Great move! rook to e2 keeps the pressure (+10.3).
- Well found: rook to d8 (+12.1).
- Strong! queen to e4 is the sharp choice (#10).
- You win a piece — the bishop.
- If instead Nxe5, then Qxh4 and you win the queen.
Move by move
- 31. Rxe2 — rook to e2 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Hanging piece
A piece is left without protection — just take it.
A hanging piece is simply an unprotected piece you can take for free. It sounds primitive, yet most amateur games are decided exactly this way. Build the habit: before every move, sweep the board and note every undefended piece, yours and theirs. The classic mistake is hunting for a brilliant combination when all you need to do is bend down and pick up the gift.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #557.
SP-557 · BastionGuard — Off-centre king (c/f), no knight on the a- or h-file.
The king starts on c1, the rooks on a1 and h1, the queen on f1.
The king already stands on c1, so castling long moves only the rook, from a1 to d1.
The bishops stand on d1 and g1; their long diagonals reach h5 and a7 once the e- and f-pawns step aside.
The pawn on b2 is defended by the king alone — the same soft spot f2 is in the classical setup.
The setup belongs to the BastionGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 504.
The engine's main line opens with e4, putting a pawn straight into the centre.
Morozov Balance Index: 0 of 100 — class D — largest edge. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +63 centipawns for White (depth 44, 400 000 000 nodes).
In 50 self-play games White scored 65.0% (95% CI 51.1–76.7%).
Explore position #557Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 009 · SP-557
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