Chess Puzzle #0y21X — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

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

Position

White: king g1; queen h3; rooks c1/e1; bishop f1; knight c3; pawns a3/b2/f2/f6/g4. Black: king g8; queen c8; rooks a8/d8; bishop c6; knight h4; pawns a6/b7/e6/f7/g5. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe3 — queen h3→e3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf3+ — knight h4→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf3 (queen e3→f3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Bxf3 — bishop c6→f3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nf3+.

Position data

FEN: r1qr2k1/1p3p2/p1b1pP2/6p1/6Pn/P1N4Q/1P3P2/2R1RBK1 w - - 1 25

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