Chess Puzzle #0ppG4 — Intermediate, Black to move, opening

Rating 1459 · Intermediate · advantage, long, master, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks a1/d1; bishop c1; knights b1/f3; pawns a2/b2/c4/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d7; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knights d5/f5; pawns a4/b6/c7/e6/f7/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qh3 — queen g3→h3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf4 — knight d5→f4. Opponent replies Rxd7 (rook d1→d7, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxh3+ — knight f4→h3, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies gxh3 (pawn g2→h3, captures knight).
  4. Best move: Kxd7 — king e8→d7, captures rook.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, master, middlegame. The key move Nxh3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3kb1r/2pq1pp1/1p2p2p/3nPn2/p1P5/5NQ1/PP3PPP/RNBR2K1 w kq - 1 15

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