Chess Puzzle #27c9K — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1376 · Intermediate · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen c2; rooks a1/f1; bishop d3; knight e2; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/f3/g2/h3. Black: king g8; queen e7; rooks a8/e8; bishop c8; knight f8; pawns a7/b7/c6/f4/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxf4 — knight e2→f4, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3+ — queen e7→e3, gives check. Opponent replies Qf2 (queen c2→f2).
  3. Best move: Qxf4 — queen e3→f4, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move is Qe3+.

Position data

FEN: r1b1rnk1/pp2qppp/2p5/8/3P1p2/2PB1P1P/PPQ1N1P1/R4RK1 w - - 1 15

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