Winning blow: bishop to g5 (h4·2)
c9-23040naming 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 1200 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 g1, rook f1 c8, bishop h4, knight d2 a3, pawn a2 e2 g2 h2 b3 f4.
Black: king e7, queen f7, rook h8, bishop e6, knight b4, pawn a5 f5 g5 b6 b7 d7 h7.
12 white and 12 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 20.
The position in numbers
Black are ahead by 2 points of material (25 against 27; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on g1, the black king on e7.
It is White to move on move 20, with 41 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 6 pawns, Black 7. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): c — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: d.
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
20. Bxg5+ Kd6 21. Ndc4+ Bxc4 22. Nxc4+ Ke6 23. Rxh8
Why it works
- Great move! bishop to g5 keeps the pressure (+5.4).
- Spot on — knight to c4 (+5.4).
- Precise: knight to c4 is the top choice (+5.6).
- Best move. rook to h8 is exactly what the engine plays (+5.8).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kd6, then Ndc4+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 20. Bxg5+ — bishop to g5 (capture) with check
- Kd6 — king to d6
- 21. Ndc4+ — knight to c4 with check
- Bxc4 — bishop to c4 (capture)
- 22. Nxc4+ — knight to c4 (capture) with check
- Ke6 — king to e6
- 23. Rxh8 — rook to h8 (capture)
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 #77.
SP-77 · ThroneScout — King in the middle of the rank, with a knight already committed to the corner.
The king starts on e1, the rooks on c1 and h1, the queen on f1.
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 d1 and g1; their long diagonals reach h5 and a7 once the e- and f-pawns step aside.
The second rank carries 2 pawns with no defender at all: a2, b2.
The setup belongs to the ThroneScout family; read right to left it becomes position 888.
The engine's main line opens with f4.
Morozov Balance Index: 34 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +31 centipawns for White (depth 48, 400 000 000 nodes).
Explore position #77Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 008 · SP-77
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