Chess Puzzle #0nsp8 — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1317 · Intermediate · exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, opening.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops d2/f1; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/c2/e4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knight f6; pawns a7/c6/d7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Na4 — knight c3→a4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Bf2+ — bishop c5→f2, gives check. Opponent replies Ke2 (king e1→e2).
  3. Best move: Ba6+ — bishop c8→a6, gives check. Opponent replies c4 (pawn c2→c4).
  4. Best move: Bxc4# — bishop a6→c4, captures pawn, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

exposed king, long, mate, mate in 3, opening. The combination ends with Bxc4# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/p2p1ppp/1qp1pn2/2b5/4P3/P1N2P2/1PPB2PP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - 1 10

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