Open in the app

Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to d6 (c5·31)

sf-u-0112
Puzzle rating: 780Theme: Uncastled king: the enemy king is stuck in the centre — punish it before it castles.
a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
White to move — find the best continuation

Solve in the app

The tactical motive

Uncastled king: the enemy king is stuck in the centre — punish it before it castles.

White to move — find the best continuation

Solution & explanation

Main line

16. cxd6 O-O-O 17. b5 Rxd6 18. bxa6

Why it works

  • Great move! pawn to d6 keeps the pressure (+8.2).
  • pawn to b5 develops smoothly.
  • Precise: pawn to a6 is the top choice (+8.7).
  • You win a piece — the queen.
  • If instead c5, then bxc5 and you win the queen.

Similar puzzles

Free, no ads · Android 8.0+ · coming soon to Google Play

Embed

Copy this code to embed the board on your site: