Attack on the uncastled king: rook to d4 (d1·12)
sf-u-0011naming tag (square·N)The tactical motive
Uncastled king: the enemy king is stuck in the centre — punish it before it castles.
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 b1, rook d1 f1, bishop e1 h1, knight g3, pawn a2 h2 b3 g4 d5.
Black: king c8, rook d4 g8, bishop d8 e8, knight g6, pawn a3 e6 b7 c7 g7 h7.
11 white and 12 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 18.
Solution & explanation
Main line
18. Rxd4 Bb5 19. dxe6 Re8 20. Rf5
Why it works
- Great move! rook to d4 keeps the pressure (+4.7).
- Spot on — pawn to e6 (+4.7).
- Precise: rook to f5 is the top choice (+4.9).
- You win a piece — the rook.
- If instead Bb5, then dxe6 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.
Uncastled king
The king lingered in the middle — punish the delay.
Punishing the uncastled king: your opponent delayed castling, and now his king is stuck on its starting square under fire. In Chess960 this is deadlier than in classical chess — the king may start in the center or near the edge, and the familiar defensive setups simply do not apply. The signs: the victim still holds castling rights, and the files toward his king are half-open. Open lines before the king manages to hide.
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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