Chess Puzzle #3KhIO — Intermediate, Black to move, middlegame

Rating 1273 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d5; rooks d1/h1; bishops b2/f1; knight f3; pawns a3/e3/f2/g2/h2. Black: king g8; queen d8; rooks a8/f8; bishops d6/e8; knight b4; pawns a7/b6/f7/g7/h7. Material is balanced. Black to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxd6 — queen d5→d6, captures bishop. Now Black to move.
  2. Best move: Nc2+ — knight b4→c2, gives check. Opponent replies Ke2 (king e1→e2).
  3. Best move: Bb5+ — bishop e8→b5, gives check.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short. The key move is Nc2+.

Position data

FEN: r2qbrk1/p4ppp/1p1b4/3Q4/1n6/P3PN2/1B3PPP/3RKB1R w K - 0 15

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