Chess Endgames

Chess Puzzle No. 316: Tight endgame: can you spot the key move?

Posted on 12 November 2026 by Delphine D.

12
Nov

In January 2022, during a 3+0 blitz game between players rated around 2150-2190, following a Sicilian Defence Dragon Variation, White had to respond on move 52 after Kf4. Now it's your turn.

EndgameHardWhite to play

White to play and win

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

See the solution explained

Qh4+ puts the black king in check and leaves only three possible replies.

Black answers with Ke5, bringing the king back toward the centre.

White continues with Re1, a rook move that strengthens the position without giving check, leaving Black seventeen legal replies.

In the actual game, the solver did find Qh4+ and then Re1, carrying the combination through before winning on time. The idea to remember: a check from afar can drastically narrow the opponent's options, even in an endgame.

Blitz chess at 3+0, popularised by modern digital clocks, demands quick reflexes even in endgames. To replay such positions properly, many players choose a wooden chess board or a complete wooden chess set.

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