Chess Puzzle #3O7S6 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2072 · Expert · advantage, long, middlegame.

Position

White: king c1; queen c3; rooks d1/h1; bishop h6; knight f3; pawns a3/b2/c2/e4/f4/g5/h3. Black: king c8; queen e7; rooks d8/e8; bishop c4; knight c6; pawns a6/b7/c7/d6/f7/g6/h7. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (3 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxe4 — queen e7→e4, captures pawn. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nd2 — knight f3→d2. Opponent replies Qxf4 (queen e4→f4, captures pawn).
  3. Best move: Qxc4 — queen c3→c4, captures bishop. Opponent replies Qxc4 (queen f4→c4, captures queen).
  4. Best move: Nxc4 — knight d2→c4, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, long, middlegame. The key move is Nd2.

Position data

FEN: 2krr3/1pp1qp1p/p1np2pB/6P1/2b1PP2/P1Q2N1P/1PP5/2KR3R b - - 0 20

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