Win the hanging queen on d1
li-04NcgOpens in the app if installed, otherwise downloads the APK.
The tactical motive
Hanging piece: your opponent left a piece undefended — take it.
Difficulty 1315 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
Black to move — find the best continuation
How to recognize this tactic
A hanging piece is one that is attacked and not defended, or defended too few times. Count attackers against defenders on each enemy unit; where attackers win, take it — often with an in-between move or a check to gain the extra tempo.
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, queen g5, rook d1 h1, bishop g2, knight h5, pawn g3 h4 f6.
Black: king g8, queen c2, rook b8 f8, pawn a5 d5 e6 g6 c7 h7.
9 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 32.
The position in numbers
White are ahead by 3 points of material (28 against 25; 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 g8.
It is Black to move on move 32, with 42 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 3 pawns, Black 6. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): b — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for Black: f.
The Black king has 2 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
32... Qxd1+ 33. Kh2 Qxh5
Why it works
- Great move! queen to d1 keeps the pressure (+3.9).
- Well found: queen to h5 (+4.3).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Kh2, then Qxh5 and you win the rook.
Move by move
- 32… Qxd1+ — queen to d1 (capture) with check
- 33. Kh2 — king to h2
- Qxh5 — queen to h5 (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.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 009
Similar puzzles
In your browser or in the Android app. Nothing to install · Free, no ads