Answers.Body: <p>No, the best move would have just been taking White's bishop on c2, like you assumed.</p>
  <p>Why Stockfish has a slight preference for Qxf5 is a little puzzling. If you think about it though, White has to choose between losing a bishop (a loss of ~3 material points in human estimations) versus losing a queen for a bishop and pawn (~5 material points). Then there's the fact that White will be the only one with a nice bishop, as opposed to Black's bishop ruling supreme. Also, Black's pawn chain is broken up a bit.</p>
  <p>In any event though, the position is dead lost for White in either case.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2023-08-19T03:20:13.237Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-08-19T03:20:13.237Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Inertial Ignorance
Body: <p>I was playing the following <a href="https://lichess.org/training/D4L1T" rel="nofollow noreferrer">puzzle</a> on lichess playing the black pieces and found the move <code>Bf5</code>, expecting either <code>Qe2</code> or <code>Qe3</code>, resulting in me taking the white bishop on <code>c2</code> and completing the puzzle.</p>
  <p>The play by white however surprised me as white instead played <code>Qxf5</code>, allowing for me to take the queen with <code>exf5</code></p>
  <p>If instead white had played either <code>Qe2</code>or <code>Qe3</code> I would at most have won a bishop on <code>bxc2</code>. and left me with no more ways to threaten the queen (<code>Qe5</code> doesn't work due to the D pawn, <code>Kd4</code> dito with C pawn), and it doesn't look like white gains a superior position due to the sacrifice</p>
  <p>Am I missing some other big opportunity here that would give black a big advantage if white had not sacrificed the queen?</p>
  <pre><code> r3k1nr/5pp1/p1nqp2p/1p1p4/3P2b1/2PQ1N2/PPBN1PPP/R3K2R b KQkq - 1 12
  </code></pre>
  
Tags: <puzzles><sacrifice>
Title: Why would white play Qf5
ThreadText: # Why would white play Qf5
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2023-08-18)
  
  I was playing the following puzzle on lichess playing the black pieces and found the move Bf5, expecting either Qe2 or Qe3, resulting in me taking the white bishop on c2 and completing the puzzle.
  The play by white however surprised me as white instead played Qxf5, allowing for me to take the queen with exf5
  If instead white had played either Qe2or Qe3 I would at most have won a bishop on bxc2. and left me with no more ways to threaten the queen (Qe5 doesn't work due to the D pawn, Kd4 dito with C pawn), and it doesn't look like white gains a superior position due to the sacrifice
  Am I missing some other big opportunity here that would give black a big advantage if white had not sacrificed the queen?
   r3k1nr/5pp1/p1nqp2p/1p1p4/3P2b1/2PQ1N2/PPBN1PPP/R3K2R b KQkq - 1 12
  
  **Tags:** puzzles, sacrifice
  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2023-08-19. Score: 6 | Accepted answer
  
  No, the best move would have just been taking White's bishop on c2, like you assumed.
  
  Why Stockfish has a slight preference for Qxf5 is a little puzzling. If you think about it though, White has to choose between losing a bishop (a loss of ~3 material points in human estimations) versus losing a queen for a bishop and pawn (~5 material points). Then there's the fact that White will be the only one with a nice bishop, as opposed to Black's bishop ruling supreme. Also, Black's pawn chain is broken up a bit.
  
  In any event though, the position is dead lost for White in either case.
  
  
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