Chess Puzzle #34QQ2 — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1299 · Intermediate · advantage, clearance, master, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/d3; knights d4/f3; pawns a3/b2/c3/e5/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c5/c8; knights c6/d7; pawns a7/b7/d5/e6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ndxe5 — knight d7→e5, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nxe5 — knight f3→e5, captures knight. Opponent replies Nxe5 (knight c6→e5, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Qh5+ — queen d1→h5, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, clearance, master, middlegame, short. The key move Nxe5 wins material.

Position data

FEN: r1b1k2r/pp1n2pp/1qn1p3/2bpP3/3N4/P1PB1N2/1P4PP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 0 12

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