Chess Puzzle #1a5GF — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 950 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen a4; rooks a1/h1; bishops e3/h3; knight d2; pawns a2/c4/d5/f2/f3/h2. Black: king d8; queen g6; rooks a8/h8; bishop f8; knights e5/g8; pawns a7/b4/b7/e7/f5/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb4 — queen a4→b4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd3+ — knight e5→d3, gives check. Opponent replies Kf1 (king e1→f1).
  3. Best move: Nxb4 — knight d3→b4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

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

Position data

FEN: r2k1bnr/pp2p1pp/6q1/3Pnp2/QpP5/4BP1B/P2N1P1P/R3K2R w KQ - 0 13

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