Chess Endgames

Chess Puzzle No. 275: Can White win it all with a forcing sequence?

Posted on 1 October 2026 by Delphine D.

01
Oct

In August 2021, in a 3+2 blitz game between similarly rated players, a Ruy Lopez Schliemann reaches move 32 with White to play after Re8. It's your turn to find the continuation.

EndgameIntermediateWhite to play

White to play and win

Puzzle: Lichess open database (CC0) · Pieces: Cburnett, Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

See the solution explained

Qe5+ puts the black king in check, leaving only three possible replies.

After Ka7, White plays Rxe8, capturing the black rook.

Black replies with Qxe8, recapturing the rook.

White finishes with Qxe8, capturing the black queen and leaving the opponent with six possible replies, in a materially winning position.

In the real game, the solver found neither Qe5+ nor the rest of the sequence: he played Rd7, then had to deal with Re1+ and Rb1 before eventually resigning. Remember the idea: an intermediate check forces the king to move before you win material with a series of captures.

The Schliemann Defence, a sharp branch of the Ruy Lopez, has long attracted attacking players such as Short and Kasparov, who valued the immediate counterplay it offers Black. That appetite for risk fits well with the pace of fast time controls like the one used here. For replaying such sharp lines comfortably, a leather chess board offers a durable and pleasant surface.

Delphine D.

Delphine D. is the lead writer of the editorial team at Le Palais des Échecs, a shop specialising since 2008 in wooden chess sets, chessboards and backgammon sets. Her guides draw on the shop's hands-on experience: more than 5,000 customers advised and a catalogue built around the woods that make beautiful sets. Pale, very fine-grained boxwood set against ebony or rosewood for the pieces; maple, walnut and mahogany for the boards; palisander, olive wood or burr wood for exceptional models. Choosing a set for a child, a wedding or retirement gift, comparing woods, having a board engraved: she helps every reader find the set that suits them. Find out more about Delphine D. and the editorial team - Facebook - Pinterest - Youtube