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Puzzle #99: Winning material

Rating ≈ 1300 · 2 moves to find

Black to move and win material.

Puzzle position: Black to move and win material.♟︎♚︎♞︎♟︎♟︎♛︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♟︎♛︎♟︎♜︎♚︎♟︎♞︎♜︎h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
Show a hint

Go through every check and capture, then every threat.

Show the solution
  1. 52… Rf2+ — the rook goes to f2 with check.
  2. 53. Kd1 is forced: it is the best way out of check.
  3. 53… Qxe3 — the queen takes the queen on e3.

Why it works. Forcing moves leave the opponent no time to defend everything. At the end of the line Black is about 9 points of material better off.

Themes: 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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