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

Rating 1831 · Advanced · equality, hanging piece, opening, short.

Position

White: king g1; queen h4; rooks a1/f1; bishop c1; knights c3/g5; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/e4/f5/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops c8/g7; knights c4/c6; pawns a7/b7/c5/d6/e7/f7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: h5 — pawn h7→h5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: dxc4 — pawn d3→c4, captures knight. Opponent replies Bxc3 (bishop g7→c3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: bxc3 — pawn b2→c3, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, hanging piece, opening, short. The key move dxc4 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r1bq1rk1/pp2ppbp/2np2p1/2p2PN1/2n1P2Q/2NP4/PPP3PP/R1B2RK1 b - - 1 11

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