Winning blow: queen to f5 (f2·3)
c9-25315naming 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 c1, queen f2, rook a1 e1, bishop g1, pawn b2 c2 d2 g2 h2 a4.
Black: king c6, queen b8, rook a8, bishop e7 g8, knight g6, pawn h4 a5 f5 b6 c7.
11 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 20.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 28 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on c1, the black king on c6.
It is White to move on move 20, with 34 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 6 pawns, Black 5. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): e — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: f.
Black hold the bishop pair, an edge in open lines. 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
20. Qxf5 Qe8 21. Qf3+ Bd5 22. Re6+ Bd6 23. Rxe8
Why it works
- Great move! queen to f5 keeps the pressure (+2.9).
- Well found: queen to f3 (+2.8).
- Strong! rook to e6 is the sharp choice (+3.1).
- Brilliant! The rook on e8 is a sacrifice that works — you are winning (+3.1).
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Qe8, then Qf3+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 20. Qxf5 — queen to f5 (capture)
- Qe8 — queen to e8
- 21. Qf3+ — queen to f3 with check
- Bd5 — bishop to d5
- 22. Re6+ — rook to e6 with check
- Bd6 — bishop to d6
- 23. Rxe8 — rook to e8 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Relative pin
A piece shields a more valuable one behind it — moving it loses material.
In a relative pin the piece shields not its king but something valuable behind it, usually the queen. Moving is legal but costly, because the piece behind falls. Look for three units on one line: your long-range piece, a cheaper enemy piece, and an expensive one hiding behind. Beware the classic trap — a relatively pinned piece can still move with check or a bigger threat, so verify before you cash in.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #637.
SP-637 · BastionScout — A c- or f-file king with at least one knight out on the edge.
The king starts on c1, the rooks on a1 and f1, the queen on e1.
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.
One second-rank pawn starts with no defender at all: g2.
The setup belongs to the BastionScout family; read right to left it becomes position 232.
The engine's main line opens with e4, putting a pawn straight into the centre.
Morozov Balance Index: 39 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +21 centipawns for White (depth 44, 400 000 000 nodes).
In 50 self-play games White scored 57.0% (95% CI 43.3–69.7%).
Explore position #637Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 008 · SP-637
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