Chess Puzzle #12O7u — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Rating 756 · Beginner · crushing, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g2; bishop f1; knight g3; pawns a3/d5/e6/g4. Black: king h6; rook a8; pawns c5/d6/e7/g5. White is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rxa3 — rook a8→a3, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nf5+ — knight g3→f5, gives check. Opponent replies Kg6 (king h6→g6).
  3. Best move: Nxe7+ — knight f5→e7, captures pawn, gives check.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, short. The key move Nxe7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r7/4p3/3pP2k/2pP2p1/6P1/P5N1/6K1/5B2 b - - 2 36

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

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