Chess Puzzle #31ISf — Advanced, White to move, middlegame

Rating 1697 · Advanced · advantage, attraction, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice.

Position

White: king g1; queen e3; rook c1; knight g5; pawns b3/f2/g2/h3. Black: king g7; queen b7; rook a2; bishop e4; pawns a6/b5/d6/e5/f5/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 3 points of material. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Bxg2 — bishop e4→g2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rc7+ — rook c1→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Qxc7 (queen b7→c7, captures rook).
  3. Best move: Ne6+ — knight g5→e6, gives check. Opponent replies Kf7 (king g7→f7).
  4. Best move: Nxc7 — knight e6→c7, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, attraction, endgame, fork, long, sacrifice. The key move is Rc7+.

Position data

FEN: 8/1q4kp/p2p2p1/1p2ppN1/4b3/1P2Q2P/r4PP1/2R3K1 b - - 3 28

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