Winning blow: bishop to g2 (h3·2)
c9-27875naming 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 a1, queen e7, rook f1, bishop h3 f6, pawn b2 h2 g3 f5.
Black: king c6, queen a5, rook b7, bishop a2, knight c4, pawn b4 b6 g6.
9 white and 8 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 32.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 1 points of material (24 against 23; pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9) — the tactic has to convert or outweigh that.
The white king stands on a1, the black king on c6.
It is White to move on move 32, with 39 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 4 pawns, Black 3. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): a, c, d, e — natural highways for the rooks and queen.
White hold the bishop pair, an edge in open lines. The White king has 0 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
32. Bg2+ Kb5 33. Qe8+ Ka6 34. Qa8+ Kb5 35. Bxb7
Why it works
- Great move! bishop to g2 keeps the pressure (+5.4).
- Well found: queen to e8 (+5.7).
- Strong! queen to a8 is the sharp choice (+5.8).
- Best move. bishop to b7 is exactly what the engine plays (+6.0).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kb5, then Qe8+ and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 32. Bg2+ — bishop to g2 with check
- Kb5 — king to b5
- 33. Qe8+ — queen to e8 with check
- Ka6 — king to a6
- 34. Qa8+ — queen to a8 with check
- Kb5 — king to b5
- 35. Bxb7 — bishop to b7 (capture)
Types in this puzzle
Royal fork
A fork with check: the king must move, and the second piece is lost.
A royal fork is a fork with check — one of the two targets is the king itself. The check must be answered first, so nobody is left to rescue the second piece. Look for squares where your piece gives check and simultaneously attacks an undefended queen or rook. It is the most reliable fork of all, because your opponent literally has no choice.
About this position
These pieces come from starting position #175.
SP-175 · ThroneScout — A central king (d or e), but with a knight posted out on the a- or h-file.
The king starts on d1, the rooks on b1 and f1, the queen on e1.
The kingside rook already stands on f1, so castling short moves only the king, from d1 to g1.
A bishop starts in the corner on h1: it has a single diagonal, which the g-pawn unlocks, running out to a8.
Every pawn on the second rank is defended from the very first move.
The setup belongs to the ThroneScout family; read right to left it becomes position 784.
The engine's main line opens with g4.
Morozov Balance Index: 34 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge. Engine evaluation of the starting position: +31 centipawns for White (depth 45, 400 000 000 nodes).
Explore position #175Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Pack 008 · SP-175
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