Chess Puzzle #17NXD — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1849 · Advanced · crushing, deflection, discovered attack, fork, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rooks a1/f1; bishop e4; knight g5; pawns a4/b2/c3/e5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks d8/f8; knights a6/d5; pawns a5/b7/d4/e6/f7/g7/h6. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe5 — queen c7→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Bh7+ — bishop e4→h7, gives check. Opponent replies Kh8 (king g8→h8).
  3. Best move: Nxf7+ — knight g5→f7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf7 (rook f8→f7, captures knight).
  4. Best move: Qxe5 — queen h5→e5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, deflection, discovered attack, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Nxf7+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 3r1rk1/1pq2pp1/n3p2p/p2nP1NQ/P2pB3/2P5/1P4PP/R4RK1 b - - 1 19

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