Chess Puzzle #0nkxl — Advanced, White to move, opening

Position

White: king f1; queen h5; rook h1; bishops c1/e2; knights d5/g1; pawns a2/b2/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights a1/g8; pawns a7/b7/c7/d7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qxe4 — queen e7→e4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Nxc7+ — knight d5→c7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
3. Best move: Qxc5 — queen h5→c5, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

discovered attack, equality, fork, opening, short. The key move Nxc7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k1nr/ppppqppp/8/2bN3Q/4P3/8/PP2BPPP/n1B2KNR b kq - 1 9

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