Chess Puzzle #2LEkN — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rook b1; bishop d2; knight e4; pawns b3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen a6; rooks b8/f8; knight d5; pawns a3/c7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 4 points of material. White to move.

Solution (4 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qe2 — queen a6→e2. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Bh6 — bishop d2→h6. Opponent replies g6 (pawn g7→g6).
3. Best move: Qe5 — queen g3→e5. Opponent replies f6 (pawn f7→f6).
4. Best move: Nxf6+ — knight e4→f6, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Rxf6 (rook f8→f6, captures knight).
5. Best move: Qxe2 — queen e5→e2, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move Nxf6+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 1r3rk1/2p2ppp/q3p3/3n4/4N3/pP4Q1/3B1PPP/1R4K1 b - - 0 24

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.