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

Rating 1255 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king c1; queen e3; rooks d1/g1; bishop b3; knight e5; pawns a2/d4/f2/h2/h3. Black: king h8; queen a5; rooks a8/f8; knight c3; pawns a7/b7/c6/e6/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg3 — queen e3→g3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight c3→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kb1 (king c1→b1).
  3. Best move: Nxg3 — knight e2→g3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pp3pp1/2p1p2p/q3N3/3P4/1Bn1Q2P/P4P1P/2KR2R1 w - - 0 21

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