Chess Puzzle #2enPl — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1599 · Intermediate · advantage, intermezzo, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c4/g5; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops f8/g4; knights d7/f6; pawns a6/b7/e6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nxe5 — knight d7→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxd8+ — queen d1→d8, captures queen, gives check. Opponent replies Rxd8 (rook a8→d8, captures queen).
  3. Best move: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures knight.

Tactical themes

advantage, intermezzo, opening, short. The key move Qxd8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r2qkb1r/1p1n1ppp/p3pn2/4P1B1/2B3b1/2N2N2/PP3PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 10

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

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