Chess Puzzle #3DG7x — Advanced, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1640 · Advanced · advantage, fork, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen a8; rooks a1/h1; bishop f1; knights c3/c6; pawns a2/b2/d4/e2/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen b6; rook h8; bishops e6/f8; knights b8/d7; pawns a7/d5/f7/h4/h6. White is ahead by 4 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: e4 — pawn e2→e4. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Qxb2 — queen b6→b2, captures pawn. Opponent replies Rb1 (rook a1→b1).
  3. Best move: Qxc3+ — queen b2→c3, captures knight, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, short. The key move Qxc3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: Qn2kb1r/p2n1p2/1qN1b2p/3p4/3P3p/2N5/PP2PPPP/R3KB1R w KQk - 1 13

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