Chess Puzzle #0emnn — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1348 · Intermediate · attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king a1; rooks f1/h1; knight g5; pawns a2/b2/h6. Black: king g8; queen d4; rook c8; pawns a6/b7/d5/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rf8 — rook c8→f8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rxf8+ — rook f1→f8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Kxf8 (king g8→f8, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Ne6+ — knight g5→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f8→e7).
  4. Best move: Nxd4 — knight e6→d4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

attraction, crushing, endgame, fork, long. The key move Rxf8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/1p5p/p5pP/3p2N1/3q4/8/PP6/K4R1R b - - 1 34

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.