Chess Puzzle #23PLU — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 916 · Beginner · advantage, endgame, fork, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rook d1; knight f5; pawns a2/b3/c2/c4/e4/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen g5; rook a8; knight f4; pawns a7/b7/c6/e5/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qg3 — queen e3→g3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ne2+ — knight f4→e2, gives check. Opponent replies Kh2 (king g1→h2).
  3. Best move: Nxg3 — knight e2→g3, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, short. The key move is Ne2+.

Position data

FEN: r5k1/pp3pp1/2p4p/4pNq1/2P1Pn2/1P2Q2P/P1P2PP1/3R2K1 w - - 3 22

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