Chess Puzzle #0laJN — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1757 · Advanced · equality, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/c4; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knight f6; pawns a7/b7/d7/e5/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qa5+ — queen d8→a5, gives check. Opponent replies Nc3 (knight b1→c3).
  3. Best move: Qxe5+ — queen a5→e5, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

equality, fork, opening, short. The key move Qxe5+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1bqkb1r/pp1p1ppp/5n2/4p3/2B5/5N2/PP3PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 2 9

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