Chess Puzzle #36Hvb — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1222 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, pin, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen b4; rooks a1/h1; bishops c1/g2; knight g1; pawns a2/b2/d4/f2/g3/h2. Black: king e8; queen d8; rooks a8/h8; bishops b6/c8; pawns a7/b7/d5/f7/g7/h7. White is ahead by 3 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Nf3 — knight g1→f3. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Ba5 — bishop b6→a5. Opponent replies Bd2 (bishop c1→d2).
  3. Best move: Bxb4 — bishop a5→b4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, pin, short. The key move is Ba5.

Position data

FEN: r1bqk2r/pp3ppp/1b6/3p4/1Q1P4/6P1/PP3PBP/R1B1K1NR w KQkq - 0 12

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