Winning blow: rook to g6 (g1·6)
c9-26558naming 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 b1, rook c1 g1, bishop h1, knight d1 e1, pawn a2 f2 b3 e3 c4 h4 c6.
Black: king e7, queen b8, rook g6 c8, bishop f6 a8, knight e8, pawn a5 c5 b6 e6 d7 f7.
14 white and 13 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 12.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (35 against 34; 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 e7.
It is White to move on move 12, with 34 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 7 pawns, Black 6. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): g — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: d.
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
12. Rxg6 fxg6 13. cxd7 Kxd7 14. Bxa8 Qxa8 15. Qxg6
Why it works
- Great move! rook to g6 keeps the pressure (+2.4).
- Spot on — pawn to d7 (+2.4).
- Stunning! bishop to a8 gives up material but you stand better (+2.4).
- Best move. queen to g6 is exactly what the engine plays (+2.5).
- You reach a winning position (+2.5).
- If instead fxg6, then cxd7 and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 12. Rxg6 — rook to g6 (capture)
- fxg6 — pawn to g6 (capture)
- 13. cxd7 — pawn to d7 (capture)
- Kxd7 — king to d7 (capture)
- 14. Bxa8 — bishop to a8 (capture)
- Qxa8 — queen to a8 (capture)
- 15. Qxg6 — queen to g6 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Winning exchange
A forced series of captures on one square ends in your favour.
A winning exchange is a forced series of captures on one square that leaves you ahead in material. It is pure arithmetic: count the attackers and defenders of the square and note the value of every piece in the queue. Capture in the right order — cheap pieces first, expensive ones later — or a winning trade turns into a losing one. The classic error is stopping the count halfway and missing the opponent's final recapture.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #387.
SP-387 · BastionGuard — King shifted to c or f, knights kept clear of the edges — 168 positions in all.
The king starts on f1, the rooks on c1 and g1, the queen on b1.
Castling short simply swaps the two pieces: the king on f1 and the rook on g1 trade places.
A bishop starts in the corner on a1: it has a single diagonal, which the b-pawn unlocks, running out to h8.
The second rank carries 2 pawns with no defender at all: d2, h2.
The setup belongs to the BastionGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 755.
The engine's main line opens with b4.
Morozov Balance Index: 83 of 100 — class A — most balanced. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +16 centipawns for White (depth 49, 400 000 000 nodes).
Explore position #387Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 008 · SP-387
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