Open in the app

Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to d4 (e3·29)

sf-u-0286
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

11. exd4 cxd4 12. c4 Qb8 13. Rh1

Why it works

  • Great move! pawn to d4 keeps the pressure (+2.7).
  • pawn to c4 develops smoothly.
  • A natural move: rook to h1.
  • You reach a winning position (+2.8).
  • If instead cxd4, then c4 and you stay on top.

Similar puzzles

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

Embed

Copy this code to embed the board on your site: