Chess Puzzle #1MJia — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 990 · Beginner · advantage, discovered attack, kingside attack, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d4; rooks c1/f1; bishop c2; knights c3/e6; pawns a4/b2/c4/g3/h4. Black: king g8; queen f6; rooks a8/f8; bishop c8; knights d7/e5; pawns a6/b7/f5/g7/h6. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf8 — knight e6→f8, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf3+ — knight e5→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf3 (rook f1→f3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxd4+ — queen f6→d4, captures queen, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, discovered attack, kingside attack, middlegame, short. The key move Qxd4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b2rk1/1p1n2p1/p3Nq1p/4np2/P1PQ3P/2N3P1/1PB5/2R2RK1 w - - 1 21

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.