Chess Puzzle #1nGCZ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1252 · Intermediate · crushing, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king h2; queen f3; knight f5; pawns d4/e3/g2/h3. Black: king f7; queen e6; rook b4; bishop a4; pawns d5/f6/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qe4 — queen e6→e4. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nd6+ — knight f5→d6, gives check. Opponent replies Ke7 (king f7→e7).
  3. Best move: Nxe4 — knight d6→e4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Nd6+.

Position data

FEN: 8/5k1p/4qp2/3p1N2/br1P4/4PQ1P/6PK/8 b - - 0 42

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