Chess Puzzle #2CeWS — Beginner, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 996 · Beginner · advantage, fork, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen d2; rooks a1/e1; knights c3/d4; pawns a2/b2/c4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king h8; queen h7; rooks a8/f8; knights b7/e5; pawns a7/b6/c7/e6/f6/g7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe6 — knight d4→e6, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nf3+ — knight e5→f3, gives check. Opponent replies Kg2 (king g1→g2).
  3. Best move: Nxd2 — knight f3→d2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, master, middlegame, short. The key move is Nf3+.

Position data

FEN: r4r1k/pnp3pq/1p2pp2/4n3/2PN4/2N3P1/PP1Q1P1P/R3R1K1 w - - 0 22

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