Puzzle #75: Skewer
Rating ≈ 1300 · 2 moves to find
Black to move and win material.
Show a hint
Line up an attack on a valuable piece with another one standing behind it.
Show the solution
- 35… Qe2+ — the queen goes to e2 with check.
- 36. Kb3 is forced: it is the best way out of check.
- 36… Qxb5+ — the queen takes the knight on b5 with check.
Why it works. The more valuable piece has to step aside and the one behind it is lost. At the end of the line Black is about 3 points of material better off.
Themes: Skewer, 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.