Winning blow: rook to b3 (f3)
sf-t-0185naming 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 780 ShuffleRating — for beginners taking their first steps in Chess960 tactics.
White to move — find the best continuation
Position on the board
White: king e1, rook c1 f3, bishop f2, knight h5, pawn b2 e2 g2 h2 a3 f5.
Black: king f8, queen b3, rook d4, bishop b6, knight a8 h8, pawn c5 g5 f6 e7 h7.
11 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 22.
Solution & explanation
Main line
22. Rxb3 Rd5 23. e4 Re5 24. Rc4
Why it works
- Great move! rook to b3 keeps the pressure (+5.6).
- pawn to e4 develops smoothly.
- A natural move: rook to c4.
- You win a piece — the queen.
- If instead Rd5, then g4 and you win the queen.
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.
Only move
Everything else loses — find the only move that holds.
An only move is a position where everything loses except one single continuation. You cannot play "by hand" here: run through fundamentally different defenses — run away, block, trade, counterattack — and discard the ones that fail. The hallmark of these puzzles is that the obvious moves lose quickly while the solution often looks strange. First understand exactly what the threat is — then the one saving move reveals itself.
Provenance
Mined from the project's engine self-play games.
Verified by Stockfish at depth 20+.
Solution forcedness confirmed (verified).
Pack 003
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