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

Rating 1500 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d3; rook d1; bishops d5/g3; pawns a4/b4/c2/e4/f3/g2/h2. Black: king h7; rooks c3/f8; bishops b7/g7; knight d4; pawns a6/b6/e5/f7/g6/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxc3 — queen d3→c3, captures rook. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight d4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kf2 (king g1→f2).
  3. Best move: Nxc3 — knight e2→c3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: 5r2/1b3pbk/pp4pp/3Bp3/PP1nP3/2rQ1PB1/2P3PP/3R2K1 w - - 0 28

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.