Win the hanging queen on a8 (d5·2)
li-09e7Onaming tag (square·N)The tactical motive
Hanging piece: your opponent left a piece undefended — take it.
Difficulty 2575 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
White to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king g2, queen d5, rook f2, knight b5, pawn a2 h2 g3 b4 c5.
Black: king g7, queen a1, rook f7 a8, pawn e4 f5 g6 a7 h7.
9 white and 9 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 30.
Solution & explanation
Main line
30. Qxa8 e3 31. Re2 f4 32. Qf3
Why it works
- Great move! queen to a8 keeps the pressure (+3.4).
- Well found: rook to e2 (+3.5).
- Strong! queen to f3 is the sharp choice (+3.5).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead e3, then Re2 and you win the rook.
Types in this puzzle
Clearance
Clear your own piece out of the way — with tempo — for the decisive blow.
Clearance is about your own piece standing in the way of the decisive blow — so you move it aside, or even throw it away. The key is to clear with tempo: jump off with a check, a capture or a threat, giving the opponent no time to regroup. The telltale sign: you see a crushing queen or rook move, but one of your own pieces blocks the line or occupies the square. Do not cling to it — a clearance sacrifice usually costs less than a missed attack.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 015
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