Chess Puzzle #1De2w — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1214 · Intermediate · advantage, middlegame, pin, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen f4; rooks a1/h1; bishops b5/c1; knight b1; pawns a2/c3/c5/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen e7; rooks a8/h8; bishop c8; knight e5; pawns a7/b7/c6/f5/g7/h7. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Be2 — bishop b5→e2. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd3+ — knight e5→d3, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king e1→f1).
  3. Best move: Nxf4 — knight d3→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, pin, short. The key move is Nd3+.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/pp2q1pp/2p5/1BP1np2/5Q2/2P5/P5PP/RNB1K2R w KQkq - 0 14

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