Winning blow: queen to c5 (a7)
sf-t-0189naming 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 g2, queen a7, rook c1 h1, bishop d3, pawn d2 e2 f3 g3 a4 h4.
Black: king f7, queen e6, rook c5 h8, knight c4 d8, pawn h5 f6 g6 b7 e7.
11 white and 11 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 19.
Solution & explanation
Main line
19. Qxc5 Nd6 20. Bc4 Nxc4 21. Qxc4
Why it works
- Great move! queen to c5 keeps the pressure (+4.8).
- bishop to c4 develops smoothly.
- Strong! queen to c4 is the sharp choice (+4.7).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Nd6, then Bc4 and you win the rook.
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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