Chess Puzzle #0ZZYq — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1415 · Intermediate · advantage, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king e2; queen c4; rooks d1/h1; bishop f1; knights a8/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/e5/g2. Black: king f8; queen g3; rook h8; bishop e7; knights c6/g4; pawns a7/b7/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 5 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rd7 — rook d1→d7. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qf2+ — queen g3→f2, gives check. Opponent replies Kd1 (king e2→d1).
  3. Best move: Ne3+ — knight g4→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Kc1 (king d1→c1).
  4. Best move: Nxc4 — knight e3→c4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, exposed king, fork, long, middlegame. The key move is Qf2+.

Position data

FEN: N4k1r/pp2bppp/2n5/4P3/2Q3n1/5Nq1/PPP1K1P1/3R1B1R w - - 5 18

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