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Puzzle #1: Hanging piece

Puzzle of the day · Rating ≈ 700 · 1 move to find

White to move and win material.

Puzzle position: White to move and win material.♝︎♜︎♚︎♜︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♝︎♟︎♝︎♟︎♟︎♜︎♚︎a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
Show a hint

Check every enemy piece: is one of them simply undefended?

Show the solution
  1. 21. Kxf2 — the king takes the bishop on f2.

Why it works. The piece simply wasn't defended — always check what your opponent left unprotected. At the end of the line White is about 3 points of material better off.

Themes: Hanging piece, Winning material

Want to recognise this pattern faster? Read the guide.

This position comes from a training game and was checked with a chess engine: every move you need to find is the only one that works.

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