Chess Puzzle #2nIck — Advanced, White to move, opening

Rating 1620 · Advanced · advantage, hanging piece, kingside attack, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king d2; queen h5; rooks a1/h1; bishop g3; knight e5; pawns a2/b2/c3/d4/e3/f4/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen c7; rooks a8/e8; bishops c8/d6; knight d7; pawns a7/b7/c4/d5/e6/f6/g7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: fxe5 — pawn f6→e5, captures knight. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qxe8+ — queen h5→e8, captures rook, gives check. Opponent replies Nf8 (knight d7→f8).
  3. Best move: fxe5 — pawn f4→e5, captures pawn.

Tactical themes

advantage, hanging piece, kingside attack, middlegame, short. The key move Qxe8+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: r1b1r1k1/ppqn2p1/3bpp2/3pN2Q/2pP1P2/2P1P1B1/PP1K2PP/R6R b - - 5 16

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