Winning blow: queen to c6 (f3·5)
sf-t-0116naming 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 2060 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
White to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king c1, queen f3, rook f1 b3, bishop e1, knight c5, pawn a2 c2 e2 h2 g5 d6.
Black: king c8, queen g8, rook a7 f8, pawn f4 a5 b5 e6 h6 c7 f7.
12 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 21.
Solution & explanation
Main line
21. Qc6 b4 22. Qd7+ Kb8 23. Bxb4
Why it works
- Great move! queen to c6 keeps the pressure (#5).
- Spot on — queen to d7 (#5).
- Precise: bishop to b4 is the top choice (#4).
- You win decisive material (+15.0).
- If instead b4, then dxc7 and you stay on top.
Types in this puzzle
Quiet move
No check, no capture — yet this modest move decides the game.
A quiet move gives no check and takes nothing — yet it decides the game by creating an unstoppable threat or stealing the king's last square. This is the hardest class of moves: the eye hunts for loud blows while a modest shift does the winning. The clue: every forcing try runs into a defense, so seek the move that strengthens the threat or takes squares away. Train yourself to ask: what if I neither capture nor check, but quietly improve?
Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 015
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