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

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · crushing, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen f2; rooks c1/g1; knight g4; pawns a5/f6/h3. Black: king g8; queen f7; rooks c8/d6; bishop d3; pawns a7/b3/c3/e4/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: g6 — pawn g7→g6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nh6+ — knight g4→h6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf8 (king g8→f8).
  3. Best move: Nxf7 — knight h6→f7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nh6+.

Position data

FEN: 2r3k1/p4qpp/3r1P2/P7/4p1N1/1ppb3P/5Q1K/2R3R1 b - - 0 39

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