Winning blow: rook to e4 (e1·10)
c9-19795naming 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 h2, queen f7, rook e1, knight a1, pawn a2 f2 g2 b3 d4 f4 h4.
Black: king h6, bishop e4, knight d7, pawn g4 h5 c6 f6.
11 white and 7 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 26.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 14 points of material (24 against 10; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on h2, the black king on h6.
It is White to move on move 26, with 33 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 7 pawns, Black 4. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): e — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: c.
The White king has 3 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
26. Rxe4 Ne5 27. Qxf6+ Kh7 28. Rxe5
Why it works
- Best move. rook to e4 is exactly what the engine plays (#4).
- Spot on — queen to f6 (#4).
- Precise: rook to e5 is the top choice (#3).
- You win a piece — the bishop.
- If instead g3+, then Kxg3 and you win the bishop.
Move by move
- 26. Rxe4 — rook to e4 (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 #42.
SP-42 · RampartScout — King on the wing (b/g) with a knight on the rim (a/h) — the rarest family.
The king starts on g1, the rooks on d1 and h1, the queen on c1.
The king already stands on its castled square, so castling short moves only the rook, from h1 to f1.
The bishops stand on e1 and f1; their long diagonals reach a5 and a6 once the d- and e-pawns step aside.
One second-rank pawn starts with no defender at all: a2.
The setup belongs to the RampartScout family; read right to left it becomes position 917.
The engine's main line opens with c4.
Morozov Balance Index: 42 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +23 centipawns for White (depth 44, 400 000 000 nodes).
In 50 self-play games White scored 56.0% (95% CI 42.3–68.8%).
Explore position #42Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 009 · SP-42
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