Winning blow: queen to h7 (h6)
sf-t-0115naming tag (square·N)The tactical motive
Winning tactic: there is a move that gains a decisive advantage — find it.
Chess960 twist: use the unusual starting setup of the pieces.
Difficulty 1010 ShuffleRating — club-player level.
White to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king f1, queen h6, rook e2 h3, bishop d1 e5, knight a3 f5, pawn a2 c2 f2 h2 g4.
Black: king g8, queen d8, rook e8 f8, bishop b6 a8, knight e6, pawn d4 b5 f6 g7 h7.
13 white and 12 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 19.
Solution & explanation
Main line
19. Qxh7+ Kf7 20. Bd6 Re7 21. Qh5+
Why it works
- Great move! queen to h7 keeps the pressure (+9.0).
- bishop to d6 develops smoothly.
- Precise: queen to h5 is the top choice (+9.2).
- You win decisive material (+9.2).
- If instead Kf7, then Bd6 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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