Chess Puzzle #21xhj — Intermediate, White to move, endgame

Rating 1417 · Intermediate · crushing, defensive move, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king h3; bishop g4; knight h2; pawn f3. Black: king f6; queen f2; pawns g7/h5. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: hxg4+ — pawn h5→g4, captures bishop, gives check. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxg4+ — knight h2→g4, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Kg5 (king f6→g5).
  3. Best move: Nxf2 — knight g4→f2, captures queen. Opponent replies Kf4 (king g5→f4).
  4. Best move: Kg2 — king h3→g2.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, fork, long. The key move Nxg4+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 8/6p1/5k2/7p/6B1/5P1K/5q1N/8 b - - 1 60

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.