Chess Puzzle #2ByqZ — Intermediate, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1217 · Intermediate · advantage, endgame, fork, long.

Position

White: king d1; rooks b1/e3; knight b5; pawns a2/g2/h2. Black: king a6; queen c4; rook a8; knight b8; pawns a7/b6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 6 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nd7 — knight b8→d7. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ra3+ — rook e3→a3, gives check. Opponent replies Kb7 (king a6→b7).
  3. Best move: Nd6+ — knight b5→d6, gives check. Opponent replies Kc7 (king b7→c7).
  4. Best move: Nxc4 — knight d6→c4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, endgame, fork, long. The key move is Ra3+.

Position data

FEN: rn6/p4ppp/kp6/1N6/2q5/4R3/P5PP/1R1K4 b - - 5 31

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