Chess Puzzle #1NcBy — Beginner, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen h5; rook a1; bishop f4; pawns a2/b2/c3/g2/h2. Black: king e6; queen d3; rooks a8/e8; knight f5; pawns a7/b7/f6/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rad8 — rook a8→d8. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Re1+ — rook a1→e1, gives check. Opponent replies Ne3 (knight f5→e3).
3. Best move: Rxe3+ — rook e1→e3, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Qxe3+ (queen d3→e3, captures rook, gives check).
4. Best move: Bxe3 — bishop f4→e3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, fork, long, middlegame. The key move Rxe3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r3r3/pp5p/4kp2/5n1Q/5B2/2Pq4/PP4PP/R5K1 b - - 5 19

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