Chess Puzzle #1VInr — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1801 · Advanced · advantage, deflection, endgame, short.

Position

White: king g1; rook c7; bishop a2; pawns a3/b4/d5/f2/g2/h3. Black: king f8; rook d6; bishop b5; knight b7; pawns a5/f6/f7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ba6 — bishop b5→a6. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: b5 — pawn b4→b5. Opponent replies Bxb5 (bishop a6→b5, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Rxb7 — rook c7→b7, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, deflection, endgame, short. The key move is b5.

Position data

FEN: 5k2/1nR2p1p/3r1p2/pb1P4/1P6/P6P/B4PP1/6K1 b - - 0 26

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