Chess Puzzle #20hQK — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 972 · Beginner · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g2; queen d2; rooks d1/e5; bishop d3; pawns a4/b2/c3/d4/f2/f3. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/f8; knight h3; pawns a7/b7/c6/e6/f6/g7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rh5 — rook e5→h5. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf4+ — knight h3→f4, gives check. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen d2→f4, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen c7→f4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Nf4+.

Position data

FEN: r4rk1/ppq3p1/2p1pp2/4R3/P2P4/2PB1P1n/1P1Q1PK1/3R4 w - - 0 23

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