Winning blow: knight to f6 (g4·4)
sf-t-0068naming tag (square·N)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 1010 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
White to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king g1, queen h5, rook g6, bishop a1, knight d1 g4, pawn a2 g2 d4 h4 e5.
Black: king g8, queen c7, bishop a8 b8, knight e7 d8, pawn b4 a5 e6 g7.
11 white and 10 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 21.
Solution & explanation
Main line
21. Nf6+ Kf8 22. Qh8+ Ng8 23. Qxg8+
Why it works
- Great move! knight to f6 keeps the pressure (#3).
- Spot on — queen to h8 (#2).
- Strong! queen to g8 is the sharp choice (#1).
- You win a piece — the knight.
- If instead Kf8, then Qh8+ and you stay on top.
Types in this puzzle
Winning blow
Find the strike that wins material by force.
A winning blow is a forced material gain that does not fit a single textbook motif. The general tactical recipe applies: spot loose pieces, an awkwardly placed king, overloaded lines. Go through the forcing moves in order of violence — checks, captures, threats — because most combinations start with one of them. Do not judge by feel: calculate the concrete line until the outcome is beyond doubt.
Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 006
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