Chess Puzzle #3EBwH — Expert, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 2040 · Expert · advantage, fork, middlegame, pin, very long.

Position

White: king g1; queen g3; rooks a1/f1; knights d2/f3; pawns a4/b2/c3/d4/h2. Black: king g8; queen d5; rooks e2/e6; knight g5; pawns a5/b6/c7/f7/g7/h6. White is ahead by 2 points of material. Black to move.

Solution (4 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rae1 — rook a1→e1. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nxf3+ — knight g5→f3, captures knight, gives check. Opponent replies Nxf3 (knight d2→f3, captures knight).
  3. Best move: Rxe1 — rook e2→e1, captures rook. Opponent replies Rxe1 (rook f1→e1, captures rook).
  4. Best move: Rg6 — rook e6→g6. Opponent replies Qxg6 (queen g3→g6, captures rook).
  5. Best move: fxg6 — pawn f7→g6, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, middlegame, pin, very long. The key move Nxf3+ captures with check, forcing a response.

Position data

FEN: 6k1/2p2pp1/1p2r2p/p2q2n1/P2P4/2P2NQ1/1P1Nr2P/R4RK1 w - - 5 24

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