Winning blow: queen to b7 (c7·2)
sf-t-0144naming 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 1870 ShuffleRating — for advanced tacticians.
White to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king g2, queen c7, rook d1 g1, bishop e8, knight e3, pawn a2 b2 f2 h2 d4.
Black: king f8, bishop b7 h8, pawn g4 a7 f7 g7.
11 white and 7 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 21.
Solution & explanation
Main line
21. Qxb7 Kg8 22. Qxf7+ Kh7 23. Qh5+
Why it works
- Best move. queen to b7 is exactly what the engine plays (#3).
- Spot on — queen to f7 (#3).
- Precise: queen to h5 is the top choice (#3).
- You win a piece — the bishop.
- If instead Kg8, then Bxf7+ and you win the bishop.
Types in this puzzle
Hanging piece
A piece is left without protection — just take it.
A hanging piece is simply an unprotected piece you can take for free. It sounds primitive, yet most amateur games are decided exactly this way. Build the habit: before every move, sweep the board and note every undefended piece, yours and theirs. The classic mistake is hunting for a brilliant combination when all you need to do is bend down and pick up the gift.
Counter-strike
Don't defend — answer the threat with a bigger one.
The counter-strike: instead of defending against the threat, you answer with a bigger threat of your own. While your opponent grabs a pawn, you deliver mate — the arithmetic favors you. Look for a counter when direct defenses fail: do you have a check, an attack on the queen, a mating threat? The beginner's error is meeting every threat with a reflexive defense without checking the counterattacking resources first.
Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 014
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