Winning blow: queen to g1 (h1·4)
c9-24502naming 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 f1, queen h1, rook h7, bishop f5, knight e1 b3, pawn a2 b2 e2 f2 c3 d4.
Black: king d6, queen h6, rook g1 d8, bishop b8 c8, knight c4, pawn d5 h5 c6 a7 b7.
12 white and 12 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 16.
The position in numbers
Black are ahead by 4 points of material (29 against 33; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on f1, the black king on d6.
It is White to move on move 16, with 2 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 6 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): g — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: h.
Black hold the bishop pair, an edge in open lines. The White king has 1 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
16. Qxg1 Qxh7 17. Qg3+ Ke7 18. Qg5+ Kf7 19. Bxh7
Why it works
- Great move! queen to g1 keeps the pressure (+6.2).
- Spot on — queen to g3 (+6.2).
- Precise: queen to g5 is the top choice (+6.2).
- Great move! bishop to h7 keeps the pressure (+6.6).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Qxh7, then Qg3+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 16. Qxg1 — queen to g1 (capture)
- Qxh7 — queen to h7 (capture)
- 17. Qg3+ — queen to g3 with check
- Ke7 — king to e7
- 18. Qg5+ — queen to g5 with check
- Kf7 — king to f7
- 19. Bxh7 — bishop to h7 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Zwischenzug
Before the obvious recapture — an in-between move that wins more.
A zwischenzug means refusing the obvious reply — usually a recapture — and playing a stronger move with tempo first. Typically it is a check or a deadly threat the opponent must answer, after which you calmly take what was hanging anyway. The sign: inside a sequence of exchanges you own a check or a threat that will not run away. Whenever a line looks forced, ask what poison you can slip in between the moves.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #180.
SP-180 · BastionScout — King off-centre on c or f with a knight starting on the rim (a/h).
The king starts on f1, the rooks on d1 and g1, the queen on h1.
Castling short simply swaps the two pieces: the king on f1 and the rook on g1 trade places.
The bishops stand on b1 and c1; their long diagonals reach h7 and h6 once the c- and d-pawns step aside.
The pawn on e2, f2 is defended by the king alone — the same soft spot f2 is in the classical setup.
The setup belongs to the BastionScout family; read right to left it becomes position 782.
The engine's main line opens with d4, putting a pawn straight into the centre.
Morozov Balance Index: 92 of 100 — class A — most balanced. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +12 centipawns for White (depth 47, 400 000 000 nodes).
Explore position #180Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 008 · SP-180
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