Winning blow: queen to f8 (a8)
c9-14366naming 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 d7 a8, rook c1 h1, bishop a1, knight e4, pawn d2 b3 e3 g3 h4 d5.
Black: king g8, rook f8, bishop c7, knight d3, pawn a5 c5 h5 d6 f7 g7.
13 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 28.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 23 points of material (40 against 17; 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 g8.
It is White to move on move 28, with 57 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 6 pawns, Black 6. No file is fully open, so the heavy pieces have to be pried in. Half-open for White: a, c, f.
The White king has 4 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
28. Qxf8+ Kxf8 29. Qc8+ Ke7 30. Qxc7+
Why it works
- Best move. queen to f8 is exactly what the engine plays (#3).
- Spot on — queen to c8 (#3).
- Precise: queen to c7 is the top choice (#2).
- You win decisive material (+15.0).
- If instead Kxf8, then Ng5 and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 28. Qxf8+ — queen to f8 (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.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #518.
SP-518 · ThroneGuard — The king starts in the middle of the back rank, on d or e, and neither knight begins in a corner.
The king starts on e1, the rooks on a1 and h1, the queen on d1.
Castling ends where it always does: king to g1 and rook to f1 on the short side, king to c1 and rook to d1 on the long one.
The bishops stand on c1 and f1; their long diagonals reach h6 and a6 once the d- and e-pawns step aside.
The pawn on f2 is defended by the king alone — the classic soft spot of the standard setup.
This is the classical starting position, number 518 of the 960, in the ThroneGuard family; its mirror is position 534.
The engine's main line opens with d4, putting a pawn straight into the centre.
Morozov Balance Index: 93 of 100 — class A — most balanced. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +11 centipawns for White (depth 48, 400 000 000 nodes).
Explore position #518Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 006 · SP-518
Similar puzzles
In your browser or in the Android app. Nothing to install · Free, no ads