Chess Puzzle #08YEg — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1109 · Beginner · crushing, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/f1; knight b1; pawns a2/b2/c3/d5/h5. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/e6/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qd4 — queen d1→d4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf3+ — knight e5→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Ke2 (king e1→e2).
  3. Best move: Nxd4+ — knight f3→d4, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, opening, short. The key move Nxd4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/pp3ppp/1q2p3/3Pn2P/8/2P5/PP6/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 1 15

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.