Chess Puzzle #3NHbC — Intermediate, White to move, opening

Rating 1326 · Intermediate · advantage, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops c4/h4; knights c3/f3; pawns a2/b2/c2/d3/e4/f2/g2/h2. Black: king d8; queen g6; rooks a8/h8; bishops c8/f8; knights c6/e7; pawns a6/b7/c7/d7/e5/f6/g7/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxg2 — queen g6→g2, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Rg1 — rook h1→g1. Opponent replies Qxg1+ (queen g2→g1, captures rook, gives check).
  3. Best move: Nxg1 — knight f3→g1, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, opening, short. The key move is Rg1.

Position data

FEN: r1bk1b1r/1pppn1pp/p1n2pq1/4p3/2B1P2B/2NP1N2/PPP2PPP/R2QK2R b KQ - 1 9

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