Chess Puzzle #1i9ds — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1009 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king f1; queen b3; rooks c1/h1; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/c5/d4/e3/f2/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen a5; rooks a8/h8; bishop e7; knights e4/e5; pawns a7/c6/d5/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures knight. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nd2+ — knight e4→d2, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king f1→g2).
  3. Best move: Nxb3 — knight d2→b3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nd2+.

Position data

FEN: r3k2r/p3bppp/2p5/q1Ppn3/3Pn3/1QN1PNP1/P4P1P/2R2K1R w kq - 0 15

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